


Whitewater

by virberos



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: AU in which Verstael didn't find Ardyn, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Gladiolus Amicita/Original Female Character(s), Background Ignis Scientia/Original Female Character(s), Background Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum - Freeform, F/M, NSFW Finale, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 15:10:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20360596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/virberos/pseuds/virberos
Summary: Cassandra Libera Aurelia is an exhausted government worker for the Kingdom of Lucis, a former citizen of Niflheim that immigrated to Lucis to seek a better life for herself. Between working long hours in the city that never sleeps to whispers of possible disloyalty from her fellow Lucians at the news of worsening ties between Lucis and Niflheim, she escapes to Galdin Quay for a vacation from it all.What she figured would be a nice quiet vacation ends up changing her life, as she saves a strange man from the forbidden island of Angelgarde...





	1. From the Island of Angels

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Prompto Argentum, Pick-up (dudes from ancient caves) Artist](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18260984) by [ohmyfae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmyfae/pseuds/ohmyfae). 

> To say I was inspired would be an understatement, as what started as a short story will become something bigger and farther and farther from the canon.
> 
> For those who need clarification on the timeline, this nixes Episode Ardyn and the movie Kingsglaive entirely. Verstael doesn't find Ardyn on Angelgarde before the game starts (and thus, Niflheim doesn't have it's chancellor).

Cassandra stared at the stranger sleeping in the spare bed of the summer cottage that belonged to her family. It had been her grandmother’s and, when they weren’t staying, it was being rented out to vacationers to Galdin Quay.

Well, it seemed that the renting would have to be put on hold, given what had happened. She wasn’t sure what Taylor would kill her over, going to Angelgarde in the first place or rescuing a strange man who had been tied up in chains in said mythical island that the royal line of Lucis had deemed off limits (and protected by the Kingsglaive, no less! How did the Kingsglaive miss her?!). Her friend had just become a glaive and she had to go on the one place no civilians were allowed to go on.

Just. Her. Luck.

“Hopefully she’ll just get pissed that the boat’s ruined…” Cassandra grumbled. “But that’s a problem that can be fixed easily enough. There’s enough in the emergency funds to buy a new b-” Hearing the stranger shift caught her attention. She watched him roll over, his deep red hair flowing freely on the white hues of the bed, and her train of thought disappeared. She had set him up in the guest bedroom, overlooking the beach and the mythical island beyond. She wondered what did this stranger did to earn such a cruel imprisonment by the Lucians. Chained up on high like a twisted mockery of angels...she shivered as she remembered his state. She had freed him with a revolver, given that she wasn’t sure how to get him down otherwise without causing him more pain. His wounds, from where chains and hook impaled warm hued skin, healed quickly. The source of his healing, she could not ascertain, but did not care. This stranger still needed her help. A soft wheeze from the stranger roused her from her thoughts. 

“Nn...where am I?” 

“You’re awake!” Cassandra gasped, moving her chair to be by his side. “You’re in my home, you passed out after I brought you to the shore.” The stranger slowly sat up, blankets falling away to reveal his bare chest. She briefly admired his physique before mentally shaking the thought out of her head. He needed her care, not a gawker. 

“I remember you, shattering my bonds. Thank you.” He smiled softly to her. She felt her heart flutter in her chest.

“You’re welcome.” She smiled. “What’s your name?” The stranger’s amber gaze moved to the open window, where Angelgarde rose from the sea and stood proud in the light of dusk. 

“It is...Ardyn. Ardyn Izunia.” He said, after a few minutes of quiet contemplation. 

“That’s a nice name.” Cassandra hummed. “My name is Cassandra. Cassandra Aurelia.” 

“Cassandra…” He murmured, the soft voice sounding so...right coming from him. “I believe I owe you my li-” A sudden ‘ding!’ caught their attention. Cassandra visibly jumped from the sound. 

“Shoot! The food!” She yelped, rushing to the kitchen. She swore she heard a faint chuckle from him but ignored it as she pulled out freshly cooked tuna. She set the tray on the counter, moving some of the fish onto a fresh plate. She glanced up to a small sheet of paper she taped onto one of the cabinets. 

_ ‘Ok, squeeze of lemon...some toasted bread on the side…’ _ She thought, biting her lip as she tried to make the tuna presentable. Setting the plate on a bed-tray, she took the hot meal back to Ardyn. She set the tray in front of him. 

“I’ll be right back with a drink and utensils.” She said quickly. 

“You wouldn’t happen to have wine, would you?” She looked to him in disbelief.

“Wine is the last thing you should have right now, considering you were strung up in a cave a couple hours ago. You’re getting water, you need to be hydrated.” He frowned at her rejection of his request. “I don’t even know if white wine would go with cooked tuna or not. It’s all I have.”

“It wouldn’t.” He said simply. 

“Good. You wouldn’t have gotten it regardless.” She stepped out of the room to grab a fork, a knife, and a glass of water from the kitchen. When she stepped back into the bedroom, she paused. Was he...praying? She tilted her head a little at the sight. Her family only prayed over their food during special holidays to the Astrals but she could hardly call herself religious. She politely waited for him to finish. He glanced up to her, resting his hands on the tray. She set the glass of water and utensils next to his hands and sat back down in her chair.

“Thank you.” He said to her, his smile sending her heart racing again. She shyly smiled back to him.

“You’re welcome.” She replied, her eyes moving up and down his body. She had a pretty good idea that he was a rather large man, mostly muscle. “So, I imagine you’re pretty pious…” She hummed. “Considering you were praying over your food.” He blinked in surprise.

“Do people not do that anymore?”

“Er, I don’t know. My family only did it for special celebrations of the Astrals and certain holidays, like Founder’s Day and First Oracle’s Day, but…” She thought about it. “If I remember certain statistics right, I think...like, uh...75% of the population still holds a strong belief in the Astrals. I would imagine that same amount of people still pray over their meals.” She noticed his head tilt slightly, his smile polite but she could tell he had no idea what she was talking about. “Do I need to elaborate?” 

“What is Founder’s Day?” 

“Oh, Founder’s Day? It’s really just a giant all-weekend party celebrating the founder of the Kingdom of Lucis, the Mystic King. I mean, he’s known as the Mystic King. Nobody knows his real name, aside from his title and that he’s the first.” 

“And who holds the throne now?” 

“You don’t know?” Cassandra asked. “How long were you in that cave?” 

“That is...a tale for another time.” Cassandra gave him a look.

“I...see...the current king is Regis, the 113th king of Lucis.” She told him. The strange man nodded slowly. “He is to be succeeded by Prince Noctis, but I don’t see that happening so soon. Regis is still perfectly healthy, as far as us common folk know, and he’s surrounded by the Kingsglaive. Prince Noctis is also surrounded by protection, albeit a smaller, more...um...specialized force he trusts deeply.” 

“And is this public knowledge?” He asked. 

“Well, one can assume the king and prince are protected at all hours because they are the ruling powers of Lucis. Prince Noctis is seen pretty often on the streets of Insomnia, from what I’ve been told.” 

“You don’t even know?” His voice took a slightly playful tone. Cassandra huffed. 

“Look, I don’t get out much.” She sighed. “I’m in an office from sunrise to sunset. But my friend Taylor does. She kinda has to, being a Kingsglaive and all.” Before Ardyn could ask another question, a bouncy musical song startled both of them. Cassandra rushed out of the room, recognizing it as her own phone that she left in the kitchen. She picked up the phone, barely able to see that it was Taylor.

Speak of the devil and she shall appear. Although she would never call Taylor that.

“Hi.” She panted.

“Cass! How’s Galdin?” Taylor asked. Cassandra let out a breath. 

“Oh, it’s fine. You know, doing some fishing, getting that nice R&R…” Her gaze moved to Ardyn, who was watching her in awe. A light blush warmed her cheeks. 

“That’s wonderful! I know being a government worker is stressful, especially considering we’re both former Nifs.” Taylor replied. Cassandra sighed. 

“I would’ve expected you to struggle more, being in the Kingsglaive and all.” A soft smile graced her lips. “Unless you one v one the naysayers.” Cassandra smiled at the laughter on the other end.

“That, and there’s always Nyx. He’s from Gralea too.” 

“Oh?” Cassandra raised an eyebrow. “Well, at least you found a friend in him. How’s that thing with Ignis going?”

“Oh, it’s going wonderful! He’s the perfect gentleman, the best cook-”

“Considering he’s Noctis’ caretaker, I’m not surprised he can cook well.” Cassandra hummed offhandedly, seeing Ardyn sitting there. His gaze was of wonder, as if she had harnessed a power he had never heard of before. “Hey Tay, can I call you back later? I’m hosting right now.”

“Hosting? Who?”

“...a man. Who I found in a cave.” She said vaguely. Taylor, and the rest of the Kingsglaive, didn’t need to know she was on Angelgarde, right? 

“...why was there a dude in a cave?”

“I dunno, he just needed help and I helped him. Also the boat got fucked up and it’s at the bottom of the ocean. I’ll replace it.” 

“Galdin’s not storming right now. Cass…” Cassandra froze. 

“I did nothing aside from being a good citizen and helping my fellow man.” 

“Look, as long as you didn’t go on _ that _ island…”

“Of course not. The reefs of Angelgarde shred every ship that dares to go near it.” Cassandra tried to hide the nervousness in her voice. 

“Mmhm. Well, it’s late.” Taylor sighed. “Dawn training regimes and all. Goodnight.”

“Night Tay.” Cassandra hung up and let out a sigh as she set her phone down. That was close. 

“Was that the Kingsglaive you spoke of?” Ardyn asked. Cassandra looked up and jumped, not expecting him up and walking and standing in front of her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the finished tray of food on the coffee table. She was thankful he chose to keep that...whatever cloth thing it was around his waist. 

“I...ah, yes, that was her.” She looked up and down his body. “You seem to have recovered nicely.”

“Only with your care. Are you a physician by day?” 

“A physician? You’re too nice to me. No, I only know the basics of first aid and care. That and too much blood is...well, too much for me. And I get irritated easily. I’d be a terrible nurse.” 

“You have been nothing but kind to me.” Was what it about his smile that made her heart flutter? She barely knew him! “I think you would be a wonderful physician.” 

“You’re too kind.” She blushed before taking her phone. If he was staring at her phone like it was some alien technology, then something as simple as ‘clothing sizes’ would be foriegn to him. There was something about him that was just...otherworldly, if she had to pick a word. He let out a surprised noise, Cassandra quickly moving to catch him as his legs gave way. 

“I’m sorry, I did not-”

“You’re not as well as you claim you are. Come on, back to bed with you.” She hoisted him up back onto his feet, letting him use her as a crutch as she led him back onto the guest bed. “Don’t try to do everything at once.” She grunted, slowly lowering him back on the bed. Ardyn let out a soft noise, probably an attempt to refute her assumption of his wellness, but he didn’t say anything. She tucked him into bed and sighed. 

This man was going to be the death of her. But, as he turned over to slip back into slumber, she figured it would be a good death. 

* * *

“So, tell me more about this weird cave dude you found.” 

“His name is Ardyn you know.” Cassandra sighed, adjusting the earpiece in her ear. She was currently at a tiny tourist-trap shop, the best she could given the area, with a basket in hand and the other searching through clothes. She had to guesstimate his size (at the very least, large) but shirts were perhaps the easiest clothes to grab for a man of his size. 

It was just a matter of finding something that didn’t embarrass him. 

“Doesn’t change the fact that he’s a weird cave dude.” Cassandra sighed. “You said his name was Ardyn Izunia?” 

“Yeah, why?” 

“He doesn’t appear anywhere in the Lucian archives. I asked Ignis about it.” 

“Ardyn’s an uncommon name, to say the least.” Cassandra hummed thoughtfully, a hand looking through some violet-hued shirts. “Almost as uncommon as his hair.”

“Why’s that?”

“It’s like this violet-reddish color. From what I’ve seen, it looks natural.” She moved from the violet shirts. 

“How do you know it’s not dyed?”

“Would someone really spend the time and energy to dye chest hair?” She heard a sigh on the other end. 

“He could be some weird Nif artist for all you know!” 

“Still seems like a waste of time to dye chest hair.” 

“Not everyone is as reasonable as you are Cass.” Taylor groaned. 

“The selection of extra large shirts in this little tourist trap shop are unreasonable…” Cassandra muttered. 

“Also, how do you know what his chest looks like?” Cassandra paused. How the hell could she explain to Taylor the state he came in? “Did you fuck the weird cave man?”

“I did not, miss ‘I’m bedding the royal advisor of the prince’.” Cassandra retorted back, a mischievous grin on her face. Taylor let out a flustered squawk. “And for your information, I found him with his chest exposed.” 

“Ok, moving on from that, what are you going to do now? You have this dude in your house who has no idea what a phone is, much less any relatives that are alive, and acts like everything he sees is like some alien tech. He could be a Nif spy.”

“Would that make us Nif spies in turn, considering we both immigrated from Gralea to Insomnia? We left our lives in Niflheim behind for new ones in Lucis. What if Ardyn’s the same?” 

“Hiding in a cave is a weird way to leave Niflheim behind. What if he’s got a dangerous past?” Cassandra paused, a hand hovering over a white button-up. That was a ‘what if’ that actually held some weight. Ardyn could easily be hiding something dangerous. 

“I’ll get there when I get there. He still has trouble staying out of bed for long periods of time. Whatever’s in his past, it still haunts him. I hear him call out for someone named Aera sometimes in the night, when he’s having nightmares.” She didn’t dare speak of the state she found him in when the nightmares, surrounded by cold air and the scent of decay. 

It made her wonder if she had slipped into a nightmare of her own at times. But she never mentioned this to Ardyn. Not when by day, he was a kind (if not slightly confused) man who acted as if he had never heard of a camera, who’s eyes reminded her of a trapped sunset, who marveled at everything she told him about Eos, who looked at her as if she tamed the tides-

“Cass? Earth to Cass?” 

“Huh?”

“Your mind went wandering, didn’t it?” She could just see Taylor grin. 

“Just a little.” She said, moving the racks of shirts back. “Ahah, there we go! Extra-large.” She leaned up to grab the shirt and put it in the basket. 

“Extra large what? Condoms?” Taylor asked. It was now Cassandra’s turn to become flustered, her face burning a deep red.

“No, that’s not what he needs!” She gasped. “He needs care, not me being so...ugh…” She sighed. “Look, for all intents and purposes, he’s bedbound. He can barely walk around the house without my help and that place is tiny!” 

“Alright, once he’s up and about, then we can talk about double dates.” 

“Good luck getting Ignis down to Galdin.” 

“That’s easy, Prince Noctis comes down to Galdin often just to go fishing. Convince the prince, his entourage comes along happily.” 

“...how concerned should I be to know that you can just come down anytime with the prince and his little posse?” 

“Can’t answer that, my lunch break’s over and Ignis is waiting for me. Talk to you later.” With that, Taylor hung up. Cassandra let out a groan. While she would never deny that Ardyn was attractive, she would never take advantage of him in the state he was in. Her gaze moved to her basket of clothes. She hoped he'd be, at the very least, ok with her selection. Her gaze moved up to a rack of half-off fedoras, focused on one pitch black fedora.

She grabbed it, almost instinctively, before making her way to the cashier. That would be a few thousand gil well spent. 

As she returned to the summer cottage via motorized scooter, her mind wandered back to Taylor. Despite her teasing, she was right. What would her coworkers say if they knew she had played host to a strange man in a cave who thought phones were the strangest thing to exist? In fact, she was quite certain she would never hear the end of their teasing (which would be a welcome change from whispering behind her back). Most likely from the fact that he was devilishly handsome and charming. 

Well, she wouldn’t use devilishly to describe him. But innocent and handsome were oxymorons, weren’t they? Deciding to move on from that and the darkening path down her mind regarding said gossipy coworkers, she parked in front of the cottage. Taking the bags, she quickly entered. 

“Ah, you have returned.” Ardyn said. Cassandra smiled. While Ardyn still was in that weird tattered toga, he looked a lot better than when she found him. 

“You’ve been doing those exercises I suggested to you?” She asked, setting the bags on the coffee table. 

“Yes, I have. Hopefully, I will not have to rely on you just to stand longer than five minutes.” 

“How long have you been standing?” She asked.

“Since you left, why?”

“That was a good hour, Ardyn. I think you’ll be fine.” She said, half impressed at his rate of recovery. Was it not just a few days prior when he collapsed on her? “But enough about that, I think now is the time for a change of wardrobe.” Ardyn raised an eyebrow.

“A change of wardrobe?” 

“Yes. Nobody wears...that anymore.” She pointed to Ardyn’s robe, currently at his waist. “And I don’t know how long that’s gonna last. That’s why I got all this for you.” She pulled out some of the clothes she got, khaki shorts, a t-shirt, some boxers, a belt. As she pulled out more of the clothes, Ardyn just stared at the growing pile. “I had to guess at your clothing size-”

“Clothing size?”

“Yeah, clothes are mass-produced now. Nobody has to toil forever just to make, what ten shirts?” 

“I see…” He murmured. Cassandra looked to him.

“Is it too much? All this?”

“I, no, it is not.” He smiled at her, but it felt almost fake. As if he was hiding something. Cassandra didn’t press, instead taking the fedora and plopping it on his head.

“Huh, that looks good on you.” She hummed. Ardyn just stared at her, almost perplexed by what she did. She pulled out a little hand mirror and showed him his reflection. The man paused, staring at himself for a few minutes before smiling. 

“It does. Dare I say, I look roguish.” 

“I would say dashing. But enough of that, there’s more to try.” She said. “Please tell me I don’t have to teach you how to dress yourself.” Ardyn laughed.

“I do not believe so.” 

“Good. Because if I had to teach a grown man how to dress himself, I would never let you live it down.” 


	2. Taikatalvi

It had been five days since Cassandra rescued Ardyn Izunia from Angelgarde. 

During that time, Cassandra had prepared the necessary information to make Ardyn a Lucian citizen. She wondered if he was already one but the information had long been lost in some fire. Sometimes files just disappeared (and she would know about it, considering she often found said lost files!) due to some clueless intern leaving it where it did not belong. She would have to inspect the system when she returned to The Citadel, in order to ensure she wasn’t making a duplicate of a file that already existed. 

A splash of water caught her attention. She glanced up from her beach chair, shaded by a large beach umbrella, to see what Ardyn was doing. She had suggested to him to try fishing in order to get him out and about. Seeing how the beach was a short walk from her cottage, fishing just seemed like the natural thing to suggest. It seemed as if he was doing fine, given her position and what she could barely see in his cooler. The afternoon air was warm and balmy, the perfect time to fish (apparently, according to the books she supplied Ardyn). A gentle breeze wafted by, gently combing through the violet-red hair she had put into a ponytail to keep out of his eyes. 

_ ‘That hair, no matter what I do with it, still looks as if a chocobo really nuzzled his head.’ _ Cassandra mused, closing her laptop and putting it in her beach bag. She reached into the other cooler she brought and pulled a bottle of water. As she drank, her gaze moved to the distant island of Angelgarde, standing ever so proud above the sea. They had walked quite a ways along the beach to put distance between them and the island (although she did not inquire why. Perhaps there were bad memories involved with Angelgarde, memories that Ardyn did not wish to indulge her in quite yet). Whatever the reason, she did not press him. He would reveal his past to her in due time, if at all, on his own terms. 

She watched him close the cooler and pull it back up to her, sitting down on the other beach chair. 

“You done?” She asked, tilting her head a little. 

“I am, but I do not wish to return yet.” Cassandra nodded. 

“Fair enough. It’s a perfect day after all. Most days in Galdin are like that. Warm, sunny, sea salt in the air, and barely any storms in the summer.” She let out a soft sigh, leaning back. “Reminds me of the summer vacations of my childhood.” She glanced at Ardyn from the corner of her eye, seeing the confusion in his eyes. “Do I need to explain?”

“Yes, please.” He shifted to get comfortable. Cassandra nodded and sat up.

“Well, back in Niflheim, school lasted from the beginning of fall until the beginning of summer. In the three summer months in-between, me and my family went down to Galdin and Altissia for vacation.” She explained. “Galdin is a nice sleepy sea-side town. Nothing much of anything happens here, even during the warm summer months. But Altissia…oh Altissia.” She sighed.

“I imagine you are quite fond of Altissia.” He hummed. Cassandra nodded, grabbing her laptop.

“Fond enough to have quite a few pictures saved here.” She hummed, opening it up. Ardyn leaned over to get a better look, Cassandra seeing the awe in his eyes in the screen reflection. She opened up a few of her personal favorites of the city. “Altissia was always something I looked forward to during the days of my youth, from the gondolas to the shops and the art and…” She let out a sigh. 

“And yet, you do not live there.” Ardyn murmured. “What stops you from doing so?”

“One, I work in Lucis. That would be one very long commute when there’s available housing for the workers of the royal family. For another...my sister, Camilla, lives there.” She closed her laptop again. Ardyn frowned. 

“I take you do not get along with your sibling.”

“No, we’re just too different. She’s an actress who’s deeply loyal to Niflheim, at least to everyone else. In reality, she’s a backstabbing bitch who’d turn you in if it meant climbing higher on the social ranking.” Cassandra sighed. “I left Niflheim because of her, amongst other reasons.” She looked to Ardyn, looking as if he was deep in thought.

“I understand completely. My own brother…” He frowned. “If he had the chance, he would leave me to die.” She hummed. 

“He’s a little shit too? Sounds like he’d get along with her.” She sighed. “What’s his name? Maybe I can give him a good punch in the face when I meet him.” The quiet that followed surprised her. She shifted, seeing his gaze move away from her to the sea beyond, in the direction where Angelgarde was. Was the mention of his brother a wound that had not healed, a wound still raw from being inflicted upon him? She could sympathize with that, there were many things she had argued with Camilla. Things that hurt her deeply, things that were nigh unforgivable.

But what of Aera? Whoever Aera was, Ardyn seemed to hold her in fond regard, enough to cry out her name in the darkness of night. A sibling perhaps? Or something more? While she was curious about who Aera was, it was not enough to pester him. She had the idea that he was definitely keeping secrets, it was just a matter of what those secrets were. 

But they were still strangers, acquaintances at best. Ardyn Izunia was an enigma that she could not understand, no matter how she looked at it. But pestering someone for their secrets would only drive them away (and was quite rude). She had to think of a different topic…something not related to Angelgarde or his brother or about him…

“How was the fishing?” She asked. Ardyn blinked, seemingly lost in his thoughts. He cleared his throat and leaned back.

“Effective. Tell me, was Galdin always teeming with fish?”

“I mean…” She shrugged. “We’re at the ocean. There’s millions of fish there.” He chuckled at her simple answer. “I’m not a fisherman by trade, ok?” She sighed. 

“It shows. When I was a younger man, the duty of catching dinner fell on me, the oldest son. Compared to hunting for your meal, fishing was far easier.” 

“Wait, you had to hunt for your food?” She asked. 

“Why yes. I suppose that is a thing people do not do anymore.” 

“No, we just...go to a store and buy it with gil.” She sighed. She had heard of ‘off-gridders’, people who lived off the land and it’s gifts without the aid of electricity. In a world where air conditioning and modern technology existed, she didn’t get the whole ‘off the grid’ thing, especially with daemons that roamed the country-side. Perhaps that was why he wasn’t in the system, his parents simply never came to Lucis to register him as a Lucian citizen. 

_ ‘Or he’s a Nif spy, as I’m certain a certain glaive would say.’ _ She thought. But, even though that possibility certainly existed, she couldn’t help but feel that him being a possible Nif spy wasn’t the most interesting thing about him. With the way he spoke, he sounded as if he had lived a long life, alien from the Eos she knew. He sounded as if he had lived at a time where Eos was more pastoral, with the technology of today being only an unfathomable dream. Off-gridding was as close as someone could get to those long-ago times of Eos’ past, but not quite. The cities of present-day Eos loomed across the horizon, an always tempting beacon to the generation born from off-gridders. 

_ ‘Ok, now you’re just reaching.’ _ She shook her head as she thought. _ ‘He’s either a Nif spy or an extreme off-gridder. He looks not much older than forty, he can’t have lived much longer than that. It’s impossible _ . _ ’ _

“It seems a storm is upon us.” Ardyn hummed, his voice rousing her from her thoughts. Cassandra followed his eastward gaze, seeing the dark clouds roll in. 

“It seems so. Come on, let us pack everything up and head back inside.” She said, getting up from her beach chair. “The fish you caught today will make a fine dinner for us.” Ardyn nodded, closing the cooler of fish. 

“You wouldn’t happen to know if there is some sort of market?” 

“Hm? Oh yeah, there’s a little fishing market. Why?”

“You have done so much for me, it would be remiss of me if I did not repay you somehow.” Cassandra stared at him before gently patting his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it. I promise.” 

* * *

“No, Aera! Aera!” 

Cassandra shot awake, a rather familiar sensation if she dared spare a thought, from Ardyn’s cries. The rain of the summer storm pounded on the roof as she got out of bed to tend to the distressed man. Her nightgown fluttered as she rushed to the bedroom. When she turned on the light, Ardyn was writhing under the sheets. The familiar scent of decay reached her nose but she ignored it. She rushed to his side to shake him awake. 

“Ardyn! Ardyn, wake up, it’s just a nightmare!” She yelled. He shot up, their foreheads colliding. “Ow!” Cassandra stepped back, holding her head. She shook her head, grunting a little. “That hurt…” 

“Aera…” Ardyn whispered. He was staring at his hands, chest heaving as if he had just came from a great struggle. He just sat there, as if colliding with his host didn’t seem to phase him. Cassandra noticed and sat down at the edge of the bed.

“Ardyn...it was just a nightmare. Do you want to talk about it?” She asked, her voice soft. Ardyn glanced up, just a little, and Cassandra saw fear in his eyes. She presumed the nightmare to be quite intense, given his current state. She gently reached up, pushing his violet-red hair back behind his ear. “Ardyn?” 

“I...I need a drink.” 

“Ok, I can get you something. Just stay here.” She said, getting up to head to the kitchen. She poured a small glass of milk and heated it up, preparing a spoonful of honey to add to the warm beverage. Her thoughts wandered to the mysterious Aera and the familiar scent of decay. With the way he called to her, in the thrall of his nightmare, there was no way she was just a sibling he adored. She had to be something special, a spouse or something. But what happened to her? He _ had _ mentioned a brother that afternoon. Did an argument happen between his brother and himself, an argument that ended with Aera being injured? Or worse, killed? And that scent of decay…

The microwave beeped loudly, catching her attention. She pulled out the cup and stirred in the honey, making her way back to Ardyn. Looking to him, he seemed to have recovered from being awoken so suddenly. He was leaning back against the headboard, staring out the window into the storm raging outside. She sat down on the edge of the bed, taking his hand. He jumped from the contact, causing her to jump a little as well, before he relaxed. 

“I am sorry for awk-”

“Don’t be. You were having a nightmare and I’m helping you recover.” She said firmly, handing the cup to him. He stared at the cup quietly, almost suspiciously. “It’s just milk and honey, I promise.” 

“Milk and honey?” He looked down at the cup, surprised (although at what, she could not ascertain). “I...I see.” He slowly took a drink. Cassandra watched him in silence, listening to the rain outside. The silence was nice, with the soft scent of honey slowly replacing the sickening aura of decay. She didn’t dare say anything, letting him relax from whatever his mind conjured up to torment him. Despite the stretching silence, she never got the sense of discomfort. Ardyn set the cup down on his lap but did not look at her in the eye. Instead, his eyes seemed to focus on something on the wall. Following his gaze, she noticed his gaze had settled to a framed dagger on the wall. The dagger looked almost deceptively simple, steel and a golden hilt and pommel. Engraved near the hilt was three words: omnia vincit amor.

“A dagger on the wall?” He asked, a soft chuckle in his voice.

“Oh, um…” She didn’t actually expect him to ask, but perhaps he needed something to keep his mind away from the nightmare he had, and she was more than willing to indulge him. “Yeah, my grandpa had a thing for decorative knives.” She got up to take the framed dagger off the wall. “They’re dull, so they’d need to be sharpened, he always liked them for the art than for practical use.” She explained as she took the dagger to the bed to let him see the piece of art up close. “He always tried to fabricate some story with them, but they were never true.” 

“It sounds like he was an amatuer storyteller.” Ardyn commented. 

“Well, he tried.” She chuckled softly. “But I liked them more for the art then any story he could try to weave. This one is actually my favorite, despite its simplicity.” 

“Love conquers everything.” Ardyn murmured. She looked up to him in confusion. “Ah, it’s Old Lucian.”

“You can read Old Lucian?” 

“You sound surprised.” Cassandra blushed. 

“Well, not everyone can read Old Lucian. It’s the language of scholars now.” She stood up to hang the dagger back on the wall. “But thank you for translating that. It’s always bothered me what it actually said. Grandpa never knew but he liked how it looked so he got it.” She laughed softly. “Good thing it doesn’t say something like ‘stinking garbage’ or something like that.”

“That would be quite unfortunate.” Ardyn said, noticing a fond smile on his lips in the reflection of the glass. She hung the framed dagger back on the wall and turned, staring out into the storm-darkened sky. After a breath, she went back to the edge of the bed and sat down.

“Ardyn...are you comfortable talking about your nightmare? Do you even want to talk about it?” She asked carefully. Ardyn’s lips tugged into a frown and his gaze returned to his hands. After a few moments, he shook his head.

“I would rather not.” 

“I understand.” She nodded. “Would you like to return to sleep?” 

“If I am being honest, not particularly. But I do not have the means to pass the time until dawn.” 

“Well...I could sing you a lullaby.” She offered, a little awkwardly. “Maybe it could help chase the nightmares away.” She had not sung since she was a youth in Gralea but, if it could ease him to a more peaceful rest, then she didn’t see why she couldn’t offer him that. His gaze focused on her, as if trying to discern something, before he nodded. She smiled as she watched him slide back down into the covers. 

With that, she began to sing. 

As she sang, her voice soft and gentle, her hand slowly stroked his long hair. The man shifted beneath her but did not pull away from her hand. The song was old, from a time long past, and had been passed down through the generations. One of her grandfathers had sung it to her grandparents and it simply grew from there. The soft lullaby carried fond memories, memories of her grandmother gently singing to her when she had nightmares of her own, memories of lulling herself to sleep during lonely city lights in the heart of Gralea, memories of seeking comfort in sepia-hued memories of the past when things took a turn for the worse. 

The lullaby, Taikatalvi as it was called, was something deeply personal not just to her, but her family. And now, she sung it to Ardyn to ease him into a restful slumber. She smiled softly, watching the deep rise and fall of his chest as he fell back into slumber. She stayed there for a few more minutes, making sure he did not fall under the thrall of another nightmare, before taking the cup and leaving the room. She turned off the lights behind her and stepped into the kitchen, humming the lullaby as she put the cup in the sink. As she made her way back to her room, she realized her phone was lit up with an incoming message.

“Now who could be texting me at this hour?” She murmured, taking the phone. It was from Taylor. 

_ Coming in a couple days, with the boys. _

“...well shoot.”


	3. Arrival of the Royal Entourage

Cassandra flopped down on the chair, a hand running through her hair. She had just finished serving the royal entourage (and giving Taylor a mild piece of her mind for barely two days notice to prepare the cottage for the four young adults) and was feeling the exhaustion. But, at the very least, everyone was eating and not complaining about something being burnt. 

Her worries more in lay with Ardyn. The look on his face was indescribable, focused entirely on the young prince Noctis. She had indeed shown him a picture of the four, not wanting to surprise Ardyn with five strangers on her doorstep. Even at that moment, Ardyn’s expression seemed to darken just slightly upon the sight of the young prince. She could only presume that someone in his past that had wronged him (perhaps his brother?) looked too similar to Noctis, enough to make him displeased at his presence. 

But he behaved, at least in front of polite company. All she asked him to do was to play nice with them. 

“Man, I’m stuffed.” Prompto hummed. “That was pretty good, thanks Cass!” Cassandra smiled to the young man.

“I’m glad you like it. I’m nowhere near Ignis, but I can at least say I can make something edible.” Cassandra replied.

“You do not need to deflect compliments of your own skill to protect my ego.” Ignis replied. She had noticed his gaze was steady on Ardyn when he wasn’t talking to someone else at the table. “I will live.” 

“You think I don’t see your bristle when someone else is cooking?” Cassandra replied jokingly. Ignis pushed up his glasses.

“I do not bristle.” 

“Uh, yeah you do.” Prompto pointed out. “I remember the look you gave me when I mentioned I was looking forward to Iris’ cooking...that was scary.” 

"You only calmed down after Taylor gave you a few kisses." Noctis faintly smirked at his advisor. “And even then she had to give you more while Iris was actually cooking.”

“Anyways, moving on.” Cassandra spoke up, trying to get the conversation away from flustering the advisor. “Your Highness, how is your hobby of fishing going?”

“Hm. I wish I had more time to do so. I got a tattoo recently.” 

“Oh really?” She asked, noticing the eyeroll from Ignis. “What is it?” 

“For measuring fish.” He said, a grin creeping onto his face. Cassandra laughed gently. 

“Well, I bet it’s quite useful. Although not in the way I think your friends expected.” She replied. “Is that correct, Ignis?” 

“It is indeed.” He nodded, leaning back a little. Prompto promptly stood up. 

“Hey Noct, how about we go down to the beach?” He asked cheerfully. Noctis shrugged and got up, followed by Gladio. 

“Sure, it’s not that far.” The prince said. Cassandra looked to Ardyn and gently elbowed him. He jumped a little. 

“How about you go with them?” She asked. “Show Noct your fishing skills and all that.” That, and she did notice Ignis’ watchful eye on him. She figured he had questions that she would have to answer, but not in front of polite company, certainly not in front of Ardyn. He seemed surprised before nodding.

“As you wish.” With that, he got up. She did the same, following him to the guest bedroom. As they entered she shut the door behind him. 

“I’m proud of you Ardyn.” She stated. Ardyn looked to her, a weak smile on his face.

“I thought he would be exactly like my brother, equal amounts arrogant and proud. But I am mistaken.” He let out a soft sigh. 

“Noctis has his moments, but he’s got a good heart. Did you know he had a fish cooked by a gourmet chef just to feed a cat?” She asked. Ardyn raised an eyebrow.   
  


“Truely?”

“The boys can tell you all about it.” She reached over to pat his shoulder. Ardyn chuckled softly. 

“I imagine that cat was very happy to dine well.” He let out a sigh. 

“Alright, I’ll stop keeping you.” She let go of him. “Just...keep doing a good job, ok?” He nodded. She left the room, nearly bumping into Taylor.

“Oh!”

“Cass! I thought you were busy!”

“Busy? With w-” She narrowed her eyes a little. “No, I was not doing that. It’d be rude to keep his Highness waiting.” 

“Mmhm, sure.” Taylor grinned. Ardyn cleared his throat.

“Where is Noctis?” 

“Oh, they’re making their way down!” Ardyn bowed to her.

“Thank you.” He smiled to Cassandra as he slipped by her. “I suppose we won’t be long.” 

“Take all the time you want. I’m not leaving.” Cassandra replied. Ardyn nodded as he stepped outside, following the trio down to the beach. Cassandra moved to the window, watching as the four made their way down to the beach with the chatter of their discussion slowly fading into the wind. A soft, almost fond smile, crept onto her face. It seemed that Ardyn, although at first suspicious of the young prince, seemed to get along with him. Or at least, got along well enough for her not to worry about them. 

“So.” Ignis spoke, causing her to turn to face him. “When were you going to tell us that your ‘weird cave man’ was Adagium?” He asked, voice cold.

“Who?” Cassandra tilted her head. Taylor looked equally confused as she moved to the side of the prince’s advisor. Ignis looked to the two and sighed.

“The state of things…” Ignis muttered before pushing up his glasses. Taylor pouted at his reaction. He took a deep breath. “Adagium was, is, the embodiment of the Starscourge, imprisoned by the Founder King after the death of the first Oracle. His prison was on the Island of Angelgarde-” 

“Cass!” Taylor snapped, earning a wince from Cassandra. “You said you didn’t step foot onto Angelgarde!” 

“In my defense!” Cassandra huffed. “I wasn’t intending to go exploring on the island, I just ended up there and decided that exploring the island was a good way to pass the time until the Kingsglaive found me. I am, at the end of the day, a government worker of the Kingdom of Lucis.” She paused. “By the way, someone should really tell Mr. Amiticia that there were NO glaives on that island.” 

“Duly noted.” 

“Anyways, I was looking for a glaive while on Angelgarde and found Ardyn instead, all strung up by chains.” She looked down. “Like a twisted mockery of angels. I couldn’t help it, I had to get him down. Whatever his crime was, being hung up like that to rot was too cruel.” She looked back up, her gaze meeting his. “If he really is Adagium, then he has been left to rot in that cave for...two thousand years.” She could feel her heart sink at the thought of it. “Two thousand years, lost in his own thoughts and memories and nightmares…that is quite the cruel punishment.”

“It sounds like you sympathize with him.” 

“Considering he’s been in my cottage for the past week, and I’ve been the one tending to him, helping him through his nightmares, and watching him fumble around with something as simple as  _ a microwave _ , forgive me for being a bleeding heart.” 

“To be fair, had it been anyone other than this Adagium we would have thought her actions were very noble…” Taylor reached over and gently squeezed Ignis’ hand. “Maybe we shouldn’t be so hard on her…though I am still mad that you lied to me.” Cassandra frowned, the guilt pulling at her heartstrings.

“I’m sorry for lying to you in the first place. You worked hard to be a glaive, you were the one who stood up for me when I tried to immigrate to Lucis. If I had told the truth, I thought that I would jeopardize your position as a glaive. Angelgarde’s supposed to be this magical forbidden island, only kings and gods can stand on that ground. If Mr. Amiticia or Mr. Leonis or anyone in the Crownguard found out, that’d be grounds to kick me out of Lucis.” 

“And that’s why I’m forgiving you.” Taylor faintly smiled. “I just wish I could have known so I could have come out here and helped you sooner.” 

“I doubt you’d help me that easily.” Cassandra chuckled. “But it seems that your beloved has burning questions for me.” She said, turning to Ignis. Ignis looked ready to drill her for all of her answers when Taylor gently smooched his cheek, earning a brief blush from Ignis. He cleared his throat.

“How did you free Adagium?” Ignis inquired, his critical eye focused on her. 

“I just used a revolver. Why?” 

“Because, according to legend, the chains that restrained Adagium were blessed by an Oracle. Most historians believe that it was the First Oracle who blessed the chains with her dying breath. Regardless, only an Oracle, or those with her blessing, could break those chains.” Cassandra leaned back, thinking thoughtfully. The chains fell so easily from the bullets, as if they were just paper. If those with an Oracle’s blessing were the only ones who could break such chains...no, she couldn’t have been able to break those chains. Only very few lucky souls could be blessed by an Oracle at birth, usually babies who were born holding onto life like a lifeline or those born in Tenebrae. That was one of those scratched off, as she was born in South Gralea Hospital, too far away to Tenebrae for an Oracle to bless her as a baby. 

_ ‘And even then, such blessings are rare and few in-between. Which means...a weapon had to be blessed by an Oracle in the past. That weapon being…’ _

“Hold on.” She quickly got up, heading to her bedroom. She could feel Ignis’ icy glare follow her but ignored it. She opened the side table, grabbing the revolver in question. She returned to Ignis, pouring out the bullets within in full view of the advisor (more for his peace of mind, however much he had given his position). She handed the empty revolver to Ignis. Taylor gently rubbed Ignis' shoulder as he examined the weapon. The advisor inspected the ammo-less weapon, his green eyes darting across the revolver. 

“Tell me, do you know the history behind this firearm?”

“Huh? The firearm? Oh yeah, the revolver. Uh…” She rubbed the back of her neck. “My grandparents, my grandfather specifically, he was a regular in the Tenebrae militia. It never was officially recognized by Tenebrae or Niflheim, so it was more of a small group of people banding together to protect Tenebrae’s people from Niflheim’s...influence.” She shifted a little awkwardly. Ignis nodded, a sign to keep going. “Anyways, according to my grandfather, the Tenebrae militia barely had any funds to fight Niflheim directly so they were shrewd guerilla fighters. A lot of weapons were bought from merchants, haggled down for the lowest gil possible. That revolver there, if I recall my grandfather’s story, was perhaps one of the most common firearms one can get in Eos. The only thing he did to it was replace the wood it was in with Tenebraen Oak, because all the militia did whatever they could to repair and replace with what was around them. He used the revolver to stop an assassination on Reyna Fae Fleuret, Lady Lunafreya’s grandmother. He claimed that the Reyna, being an Oracle, blessed the revolver. But that can’t possibly be true. He was never a good storyteller and bought artsy daggers.” 

“And yet…” His hand rubbed the dark silver of the revolver. “It still shattered Adagium’s chains. There may be truth in that story after all.” Cassandra let out a sigh.

“Grandfather told a thousand tales. Out of all the ones to actually be true, that little thing is perhaps one of the more surprising.” She grumbled, watching Ignis set the revolver down on the table. Cassandra sat down, staring at the revolver. 

_ ‘For something so simple, almost mundane, to have such a story about it be true...I would have never believed it.’ _ She thought. 

“Are you certain that...Ardyn will not hurt you?” Taylor asked. Cassandra jerked her head up, roused from her thoughts.

“No, I have no doubt in my mind he’d harm me. He has had plenty of chances to hurt me, to slay me in my slumber and flee into the night. But he didn’t. I won’t say he’s as tame as a kitten, anyone can bring harm to anyone if they’re determined enough, but if he did have the intention to bring chaos and apocalypse upon the world, which is the vibe I got when Ignis described him, he would not have stayed as long as he did. Or let me witness him fumble around with technology.” 

“You are making quite the assumption about someone that is two millenia old.” 

“And so are you, since you weren’t the one dealing with him while he struggled to figure out how clothing sizes worked.” Cassandra retorted dryly. “Thankfully, I didn’t have to teach him how to dress himself.” She watched as Taylor tried to suppress a snicker at the thought of a grown man needing to learn how to dress himself with a soft grin. Ignis did not seem to be in such a humorous mood.

“You do realize the Council will have to know of Ardyn’s freedom. They will not like it.” Cassandra felt the emotional temperature of the room drop considerably. 

“I know they won’t. And running away from the problem with him will not help our cases. They’ll think I really was a Nif spy, sent to free Adagium, and now Niflheim has a new weapon more terrifying than anything they could cobble together. Not to mention, running away from your problems doesn’t make them go away. Nor does chaining them up in a cave on a forbidden island.” She sighed. “That still doesn’t make the prospect of facing the Council anymore...fun.” Ignis nodded in agreement and looked up to the window, seeing the group climbing up the path back to the cottage.

“Cassandra. The moment you return to the Crown City is the moment all eyes will be upon you. Know that very few will be comfortable with what you have done.” 

“I would be more surprised if  _ anyone _ had anything positive to say with what I did on that island.” She sighed. “But I will still go. Shame I had to end my vacation early.” 

“At least you got Iggy to take a short vacation.” Taylor smiled and kissed said advisor’s cheek. Cassandra chuckled. 

“I’m just glad he didn’t balk at my cooking. I certainly don’t have his skill.” Cassandra said with a smile. She got up and took the revolver. “I’ll take this back to my room.” With that, she turned to walk back to her room. Despite the knowledge that she would have to go to the Council in the very near future, she still wanted to stay just one more day in Galdin Quay. She didn’t know if she would be able to return to Galdin at all once she left the town. She let out a sigh as she set the bullets back into the revolver. Setting the gun inside the bedside table, she closed the drawer and took a deep breath.

_ ‘No turning back now. When we leave tomorrow for the Crown City, I don’t think we’ll ever come back. I just hope fate is on our sid-’ _

“Heh, what’s the matter Iggy? What’s got you so red?” Cassandra heard Gladio speak as he entered the cottage. Ignis let out some sort of noise, flustered if she had to guess.

“Nothing at all, thank you very mu-” He was cut off, prompting Cassandra to return to the room. Taylor had gently pulled him down by the cuff of his shirt to give him a kiss. Noctis and Ardyn were standing in the doorway, Ardyn holding the fishing rod Cassandra had purchased for him. She noticed Prompto pull out his camera and took a picture of the flustered advisor. Ardyn glanced to Prompto’s camera, his eyes alit with interest. 

“Prompto, whatever is that contraption?”

“Huh?” He looked back to Ardyn. “Oh, it’s a camera. It takes pictures.” He explained. Ardyn’s eyes flicked to Cassandra, she could tell a plan was formulating in his head.

“If it takes pictures, can you take one of Cassandra?”

“Oh, sure! Hey Cass, say cheese!” 

“Wait, what?” Cassandra blinked at the flash. 

“Aww, you weren’t supposed to blink.”

“Well don’t use the flash! It’s blinding.” Cassandra gently retorted. Prompto smiled sheepishly before adjusting the settings of the camera.

“Alright alright...ahah, there we go! Ok, now say cheese!” 

“Uh...cheese?” Cassandra smiled, trying not to look as awkward as she felt. She never was good at the whole ‘posing for pictures’ thing. But she had to admit, it did take her mind off what lay in the future for them, at least for a little while.

She would cherish today, and the memories with Ardyn in this very cottage, as the future darkened before them.


	4. From Galdin, to Insomnia

Cassandra watched as the group drove off back to the Crown City, disappearing through the sunset-bathed foothills back to Insomnia. A weight hung in her heart as she watched the Regalia drive away, knowing that tomorrow they would be in the Crown City to face the council. 

  
And she had to tell Ardyn of the change of plans. 

She let out a sigh and stepped inside, a hand running through her brunette-blond hair. She had no idea if Ardyn would be ok with this (although she had a sneaking suspicion that he wouldn’t) but surprising him with a visit to the big city to meet with the king was not something she was sure he would look forward too. The only thing she could think of that was a consolation to their state is that they had the favor of Prince Noctis. Or at least, she wanted to say she did. 

“Ardyn. We need to talk.” She said, sitting down on the couch. Ardyn walked into the room, head tilted just a little. If the following discussion wasn’t so heavy, she would’ve found it cute. “Please, sit down.” 

“Is something the matter?”

“There’s…” She took a deep breath. “A change of plans. We will leave the next morning for the Crown City. By lunch, we are to meet the Council of Lucis and King Regis. And hopefully, we won’t get chained up in Angelgarde.” She looked to Ardyn, who was frowning. 

“And why.” 

“Because...I’ve been told by the Prince’s advisor that you’re Adagium. The nightmare of Lucis, Starscourge incarnate.” She said carefully. “And the kingdom’s rulers must know, not only of your freedom, but of how you were freed.” She glanced down a little. “That’s why we’re both going: to argue your case as to why you should remain a free man...and to spare me death or exile.” 

“I will not allow them to hurt you.” Cassandra jerked her head up, surprised by the darkness in his voice. The smell of decay washed through the room, causing her to shift back a little on the couch. “They took so much from me, I will not let my savior be one of them.” 

“Ardyn? What are you talking about?” She whispered, her hand carefully reaching out. Before she could touch his hand, he jerked it away from her. His gaze turned to her, face hidden by his long violet-red hair. She reached up, gently taking his hair and pulling it behind his ear to get a better look of his face. 

What she expected was the face of a man. What she got was something almost terrifying. His skin was now ashen in hue, sclera midnight black, the amber of his eyes now far more striking now. A pair of streams of dark ichor from his eyes stained his skin while other parts looked broken and cracked, almost ready to fall apart. She pulled back her hand in surprise. 

“What did the ancient Lucians do to you?” She whispered. “Use you for dark experiments to study the Starscourge?” Ardyn chuckled, the sound sounding far more sinister with the cold aura of the room around them. She relaxed, just a little. Ever the optimist, she presumed if he was at least of sound mind, enough to be humored(?) by what she thought happened all those years ago. 

“Do tell me why you think that the Lucians used me for dark experiments.”

“Well, uh...you see, Research Chief Besithia, he made a name for himself in Niflheim for experiments on daemons. I wonder if there was someone equally as mad who did the same in Ancient Lucis, someone that was willing to throw away their morality to study daemons and the scourge. Looking at you, I wonder if...if your brother sold you to this stranger. If Aera tried to stop it and was slain.” She paused. “That doesn’t explain how you came to Angelgarde, unless your brother had a drastic change of heart and imprisoned you there for the gods to fix what had been done to you. I wonder why the second Oracle didn’t help you...unless she was not of age for her powers of an Oracle to awak-.” 

“That is quite a story, Cassandra.” He hummed, the scourge slowly disappearing from his features. The scent of rot faded away although the chill still remained in the room. “If the art of storytelling was lost upon your grandfather, the art found itself in you.” 

“How far was I off?” She asked.

“Very.” Cassandra blushed out of embarrassment before shifting a little closer to Ardyn. 

“If it’s too much to ask, can you tell me what happened?” Ardyn’s gaze became distant, as if he was remembering something. After a few minutes, he shook his head. 

“I’m sorry-”

“Don’t be.” She took his hand to give it a comforting squeeze. “If you’re not ready, you’re not ready.” Ardyn glanced to their entwined hands. 

“Your patience would cause the Oracle to be envious.” He murmured. Cassandra blushed.

“Really? I...I’m flattered.” She murmured. To be compared to an Oracle of all people… “We should go to bed. We have a busy day tomorrow.” She pulled back her hand. She thought she noticed the briefest look of wistfulness in his eyes before he nodded in agreement. 

“Pleasant dreams, Cassandra.”

* * *

_ Cassandra blinked the golden light out of her eyes, surrounded by...wheat? It looked like wheat. She slowly sat up, looking around. She seemed to be surrounded by miles and miles of wheat, the sun low in a golden sunset. Or was it sunrise? She slowly got up, smoothing out the fabric of her nightgown. As she looked around, her gaze moved to the center of the field. She presumed it was the center, given the single lone tree. She squinted, swearing she could see a pair of figures slumbering at the base of the tree. She made her way closer, trying to ascertain who was at the tree. As she approached the tree, she noticed who was sitting at the base in slumber.  _

_ It was Ardyn, the robes he wore had briefly blinded her from his identity. But the woman next to him was someone of far more interest, a woman she recognized only in history books and art pieces in Tenebrae, the first Oracle Aera Mirus Fleuret.  _

_ ‘They look so peaceful together…’ She thought, standing there quietly as the two slept. ‘If only they could stay like this forever. I don’t know what happened all those years ago...but I think they should’ve been together longer before whatever tragedy happened happened.’  _

_ The sound of something rustling behind her caught her attention. She whipped around, seeing the wheat shift and decay. Something began to grow, the scent of rot almost overwhelming her. She stepped back, shivering from fear. As the thing began to grow in size, into a being that was vaguely humanoid and draconic, the rotting smell grew stronger and stronger. The creature’s body was impaled by weapons, the ichor seeping freely from the wounds it was bearing. It’s eyes, glimmering like molten gold, focused on her as it approached. It’s mouth unhinged, letting out a hiss, before it roared- _

Cassandra woke up with a cry, jerked awake by the roar of engines. Scrambling out of the bed, she rushed to the window. Seeing the red lights of Niflheim airships flying above them towards Angelgarde, she let out a soft noise of worry. They had to go, to expedite their pl-

"Cassandra?" Ardyn's voice grabbed her attention. "Whatever is making that racket?"

"Niflheim, they're here. We need to leave to the Crown City." Ardyn blinked.

"Now?"

"Yes now! They're here for you, I reckon. Why else would they be here?" 

"How would they know I was here?" He asked. Cassandra let out a sigh.

"I don’t know but if Niflheim’s here, they’re not here to take a vacation. We just need to go." She went to the closet and pulled out her luggage bag. She handed it off to Ardyn, who stared at the bag in confusion. "Don't just stand there, pack your things!" 

"But what about you?" He asked. Cassandra let out a frustrated sigh.

"Clothes are replaceable. Our lives aren't, especially mine." She went to her room to get dressed, leaving Ardyn where he was standing. Throwing on a basic outfit, she grabbed her handbag and began to shift through it. Mentally, she searched through for the vital things she knew they would need back in the Crown City: government ID, phone, her keys, Insomnian Crowns, gil for affairs outside the Crown City, earpiece-

“Cassandra?” She looked up to see Ardyn leaning against the door. She noticed, in the dim light, the worry in his eyes. She felt a little bad for being so snappy at him but, given how close Niflheim was to them, she was still frightened at the prospect of the Nifs taking them away. She knew she would be executed as a traitor of the empire, but Ardyn? She feared the worst for him. She couldn’t let Niflheim have him, she wouldn’t let the Empire have him. 

“You ready?” 

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” She nodded and hooked the bag over her shoulder. She put on the earpiece and pressed a button. She had only a few contacts in her phone and the only one she really needed to call was Taylor. She pulled out her keys, praying that Taylor would pick up.

“Cass, it’s 2 in the morn-”

“Change of plans, Niflheim just flew over Galdin Quay en route to Angelgarde. I’m coming to the Crown City with Ardyn.” She spoke, trying to contain her nervousness. Taylor was quiet before she heard the sound of shifting and groaning of a bed. She figured that Taylor was getting up to get dressed and find the advisor, as it was their plan to meet the council. 

“Ignis...wake up.” She heard Taylor whimper. Cassandra blinked but decided against it. There were far more important things to do than tease her friend. She guided Ardyn outside, grabbing a pair of helmets. She made sure to lock the door behind them. Even if they had to leave in a hurry, she wasn’t going to let looters and squatters and demons make home in the cottage of her grandparents. 

“Whatever is the matter, dearest?” She heard Ignis speak, sounding concerned from his lover’s whimper. 

“Tay, am I on speaker?”

“You would be indeed. What’s the problem?” Ignis said, sounding a little exasperated at being awoken so late at night.

“Niflheim, en route to Angelgarde. I’m coming to the Crown City with Ardyn and-”

“You have my attention.” She heard him get up. “The closest place to meet up would be…hm...Taylor’s apartment. It’s not too far from the gate that’s closest to Galdin Quay.” 

“Gotcha. I’ll meet you two there.” She nodded. “Hopefully you got a plan.” 

“You merely expedited certain things. We will discuss when you two arrive.”

“As long as you’re dressed when we arrive.” She replied, handing a helmet to Ardyn. She smiled when she heard Taylor squeak in the background. “I’ll meet you there.” With that, she hung up. Ardyn looked at the helmet quizzically. “Do you need help Ardyn?”

“No, I do not believe so. How far is Insomnia?”

“Far enough for me to still make you wear a helmet. It’s law anyway, so you have to wear it whether you like it or not.” She replied, watching him put on the helmet. Cassandra did the same and snapped the helmet on. Ardyn may be immortal but she would still make him wear a helmet. She got onto the moped, glancing back to see Ardyn carefully settle behind her. 

“Please, don’t go too fast.”

“Only as fast as I need to.” With that, she sped off. She felt Ardyn’s grip tightened on her midsection, stiffening as the moped sped through the dark foothills of Galdin Quay. The scooter light of the moped illuminated the road, driving away the daemons that lurked in the darkness. As they rode, she glanced to the sides of the cliffs above them. She spotted daemons, hovering over the clifftops. “We’re flooring it!” She snarled, speeding faster. Ardyn tightened his grip on her as they sped through the darkened cliffs. She faintly heard the sound of magic- wait, magic? That was weird, the only people she knew that could do magic were the royals of Lucis, shared to their guardians. Was he...no, it couldn’t be. Since he was Adagium, he was probably using some weird scourge magic. Regardless, the entryway to Insomnia was coming into view. 

“Whatever you’re doing back there, you better stop! We’re riding hot into the Crown City!” 

“What does that even mean?!” 

“Hold the fuck on!” She hard-turned into the Crown City, ignoring the infernal sound of screeching tires (or Ardyn, she couldn’t tell, they sounded the same). As they sped through the dazzling city streets, the turns were sharp and fast towards Taylor’s apartment. As they moved from busy streets to calmer roads flanked by apartment buildings, she slowed down the moped to stop in front of the complex that Taylor’s home was in. She pulled off her helmet and looked back, seeing the top of Ardyn’s helmet.

“Never do that again…” He murmured. She sighed and patted the hard plastic.

“I’m sorry for frightening you. When I saw the airships of the Empire, I knew we had to leave for the safety of Insomnia. It’s protected by King Regis...somehow. Some weird shield magic.” She shrugged. “I was so focused on keeping you safe that I didn’t think about you freaking out.” She kicked the leg stand of the moped. “Come on, let’s go meet Ignis. He’s probably got some tea for you.” 

“Tea sounds nice.” Ardyn sighed as he let go of her. She got off the moped and helped Ardyn off. 

“Cassandra! Ardyn!” She looked up, seeing Taylor in some thrown together outfit and slippers. “How’d you get here so fast?”

“...I...might’ve broken a couple speed limits while trying to get out of Galdin before the Nifs noticed us.”

“It doesn’t matter, get in!” She grabbed their wrists and pulled them to her apartment. Ardyn let out a noise of surprise at being yanked along, earning a soft grin from Cassandra. She was always amused at people being unprepared for Taylor’s secret strength. She led the two up a flight of stairs and down a hallway before stopping in front of a door. She opened the door and pulled them into her comfortable apartment. The apartment was a quaint little place, decorated with dark blue and white accents. Taylor closed the door behind the two. Cassandra turned around, helping Ardyn get the helmet off him. 

“Hm, your hair looks like a chocobo made a nest in it.” He glanced up before chuckling. 

“I suppose so.” 

“Make yourself at home! Ignis is gonna come out soon to talk to you.” Taylor went to the kitchen, taking the teapot of hot water and pouring out tea for the two. Cassandra glanced to Ardyn, seeing him look around. She remembered the dream, of him and Aera, but didn’t speak up. This wasn’t the place or time to discuss that. Taylor handed the two cups of tea. 

“Thank you.” Ardyn nodded to her. Cassandra quietly sipped her tea, her mind wandering to what they would do come tomorrow. Meeting the advisor and King Regis at the Citadel worried her, given Ardyn’s supposed reputation in the Kingdom. Now that they were here in Insomnia, she couldn’t help but feel trapped.

“Cassandra.” She looked up, seeing Ignis in pants and a button-up shirt. Ignis sat down on the loveseat, next to the duo on the couch. Taylor sat down next to him, cuddling up to the advisor. She let out a sigh, feeling her heart ramming against her chest from the anxiety. 

“Ignis.”

“Just tell me what happened. Let’s start with that.” 

“You sound like a therapist.” Cassandra chuckled and leaned back. 

“He kinda is sometimes…” Taylor yawned and closed her eyes as she snuggled closer to the advisor. Cassandra smiled at the sight before taking a sip of tea.

“Well, I woke up to the sound of very loud engines. I rushed to the window and saw Niflheim dreadnoughts flying overhead to Angelgarde. If they found that Ardyn wasn’t in there, I feared they would storm the beaches of Galdin to see if Ardyn was...I dunno, some sort of escaped convict they could use and abuse. He was already awake by that point, so I told him to pack his clothes while I got my stuff and we’d go to the Crown City. At 2 in the morning.”

“I’m just glad you’re safe..” Taylor murmured. “Both of you…” She smiled sleepily and cuddled the advisor happily. 

“I might have...slightly traumatized Ardyn...and broke a couple speed limits.” Cassandra admitted sheepishly. 

“That’s what kisses are for…” Cassandra blushed a deep red. Taylor didn’t mean that, she was practically asleep! Ignis wrapped an arm around her and gently kissed her head.

“Go back to sleep, my dear.” He murmured. Taylor let out a soft coo and slipped back into slumber. Cassandra glanced to Ardyn, who had his face in the cup of tea. She figured he was trying to hide his blush and returned her gaze to Ignis. “And what do you plan to do?” The advisor asked.

“See about getting Ardyn a suit at first light. Just because we were intended to meet the council at lunch doesn’t mean I can’t make him look his best. Him looking like he does now will not make himself more sympathetic to the Council.” 

“I get the feeling that I will not be given much of a choice in the matter.” Ardyn murmured.

“Not right now, given the short time we have before we have to meet the Council. If all goes well, maybe.” She took another sip of her tea. “I can only pray that all goes well.” 

“...I will help as much as I can.” Ignis said softly.

“Thank you. I just hope it will be enough.” She looked to Ardyn, who was staring off into space. She really hoped that, with the help of the Hand of the Prince, it would be enough.

For Ardyn’s sake. For Taylor’s sake. For her sake.


	5. An Audience with the King

Cassandra watched as Insomnia whizzed by them. Even at the earliest light of seven AM, she still felt some sort of mixture of exhaustion and anxiety. Exhausted from the Imperial wake-up call and anxious for whatever fate that was to befall them in the halls of the Citadel. She would rather take on the Lucii than face the stares of the Council! She looked over to Ardyn, who was staring out the window. She wasn’t sure if he was feeling as anxious as her or was blown away by the sights of the Crown City. 

“We’re here.” Ignis stated, pulling into the parking lot of a mall. “We are due at the Citadel at 1PM. We have six hours to find Ardyn a suit. Perhaps we can make time to visit Cassandra’s apartment, if we’re quick enough.” 

“Hey, is that Noctis and Gladio over there?” Taylor said as the four got out of the car. Cassandra looked up, seeing the duo jog down the sidewalk. 

“Doesn’t his Highness sleep in all the time?” Cassandra asked, glancing around as Ardyn moved to her side. 

“Usually, provided Gladio isn’t dragging him out of bed.” Ignis said dryly, watching the duo approach. “Hm, normally there’s a third.”

“You mean Cara?” 

“Who?” Ardyn asked. Cassandra looked up to him.

“Cara is another glaive, from Cleigne. She’s got a coldness that would make the Glacian envious, but Gladio managed to befriend her.” She explained. “The two usually jog together with Noctis, but I wonder if Cara’s busy doing something else this morning.” 

“Hey Specs, Tay.” Gladio greeted as they strode up to them. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“There was a change of plans, no thanks to the Empire.” Ignis explained. “Right now, we’re making Ardyn more presentable for the Council.” Gladio raised an eyebrow.

“Why does he need to see the Council?” Cassandra looked worriedly to Ignis. 

“Unfortunately, that is a matter between me, Cassandra, and Ardyn.” The tone of his voice belied the distaste of hiding the truth to Gladio and Noctis. Noctis frowned. 

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

“I know you don’t.” Ignis sighed. “But I promise to tell you afterward.” The two made a face of displeasure. Cassandra awkwardly wringed her wrists, earning a sympathetic glance from Taylor. Gladio seemed to have noticed. 

“Well, I’ll let you four get to work. Don’t piss off the council.” 

“Not planning on it…” Cassandra murmured as Ignis led the way. She gently took Ardyn’s wrist and dragged him along to follow Ignis. Taylor waved goodbye to the duo, who were continuing their jog as they walked into the mall. The area was just starting to awaken, gleaming storefronts beginning to open their doors as the four made their way down to the store that sold fine suits. Cassandra noticed Ardyn’s wide-eyed wonder at what was around him. The castles of the past could only barely compare to what Insomnia had built. Ignis turned a corner, with the trio following him, and approached an almost hidden store. 

“What’s this place?” Taylor asked. 

“Fantasia Finery. Most nobles usually go for something more high brand, De Lune Textiles is the one my mother prefers, but Fantasia Finery knows me quite well.” 

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Cassandra asked warily.

“I would not bring you here if it was the latter.” Ignis replied patiently as they entered the store. Cassandra glanced around, noting the small size of the store. The quality she couldn’t deny, every suit (and the few dresses in-between) was impeccable. She wondered if the shop owner had handsewn the suits themselves. 

“Scientia!” Came a voice, the voice of an old woman. 

“Lady Fama.” Ignis said with a smile. “It is good to see you.” 

“Yes yes, did the prince tear another jacket again? Or are you looking to impress your dearest?” She cackled. Ardyn seemed to be lost in his thoughts, prompting Cassandra to gently prod him. He jumped a little. 

“Ardyn?” She whispered, ignoring the two as the duo discussed. 

“Yes?” He whispered.

“Are you ok?”

“Yes, yes I am fine. I just...I thought I recognized her.” He murmured. The old woman, Lady Fama, waddled over to Ardyn. 

“So you’re the one that needs the suit. Well come on, we don’t have all day!” She took his arm and dragged him away. Ardyn followed her awkwardly, Cassandra deciding to move her gaze to the rest of the store. 

“Cass?”

“Hm?” She looked back to Taylor, standing in front of a small display of scarves. 

“Are you sure you’re OK? I noticed you were nervous around Gladio and Noctis when they came.” She asked. Cassandra let out a soft sigh. 

“I just...I’m just hoping all of this isn’t for naught. I can doll Ardyn up as much as I can to impress the Council or make them sympathize with him but, at the end of the day, they decide whether he’s back in Angelgarde and I’m dead or if neither of those things happen.” She let out a soft sigh. “Nervous doesn’t begin to describe how I feel about today.”

“No matter how much the Council can complain, and I’ve heard them complain, it’s King Regis’ decision on what to do. The job of the Council is to convince him that keeping Ardyn is a good or bad idea.”

“If they don’t get their way, I’ll never hear the end of it. I already hear enough from the gossipy coworkers of mine that work under them.” Cassandra pointed out, her hand moving to a red scarf. “...this would look good on him.” She murmured. 

“I think you’ll be fine. You have Ignis, you’re the hardest worker in the Citadel next to Ignis, and King Regis is known for his fairness, even when he changed how the laws of Insomnia worked.” Taylor tried to soothe the worries of her friend. Cassandra held the scarf in her hands, silently mulling over taking the scarf as well as Ardyn’s suit. 

“Cassandra?” Ignis called. Cassandra jerked her head up, looking over to where he was. She walked over to the mirror, seeing Ardyn standing in front of it. When he turned to face her, Cassandra felt her heart stop. He looked so good in the dark grey suit, enough to wish that they were just normal people getting a nice suit for a date. But they weren’t normal people. Ardyn, by another name, was the most feared man in Lucis and she had freed him. She quickly moved out of that headspace, forcing her to think about the suit aesthetically. While the dark grey looked wonderful, he looked like a walking block of dark grey. He needed something to add a pop of color. She looked down to the scarf in her hands and stepped forward, wrapping the scarf carefully around his neck. Pulling back her hands, she stared at the scarf. 

“Well?” The elderly seamstress asked.

“It’s...it’s perfect. Thank you. Thank you so much.” She turned to bow to Lady Fama. “How much do I owe you?” 

“Ah, you just helped me get rid of that suit. It’s been sitting around for how long?” She waved her hand. “Half-price, 100 crowns. I’ll even throw in the scarf as a freebie.” 

“Deal.” Cassandra said, without a hint of hesitation in her voice. She took her bag and began to work on paying the seamstress. She didn’t dare glance to Ardyn, not wanting to get too distracted by how handsome he looked. She heard Taylor sounding distressed and whipped around, seeing Ignis presenting her with a nice deep purple dress, the waist decorated with a bow and the top lined with white beads. 

_ ‘If he’s planning to take her out on a date after all this, he certainly has the confidence that everything’s gonna be alright.’ _ She mused, returning her attention to the paying of the suit.  _ ‘But...it’s admirable. I’ll need that confidence for today.’ _

* * *

The afternoon sunlight was harsh as Cassandra walked up to the steps of the Citadel, beating down on her bare shoulders. The dress she had was a simple black dress that reached to her knees. The dress covered her arms but kept the shoulders bare. Around her neck was an heirloom of her family, a golden necklace depicting the sun. Decorating her wrist was a trio of delicate bands, a shimmering blue bead on each of them. Her heels, a pair of thick one-inch high heels, were lightly decorated with similar blue beads. 

Following her was Ardyn, the deep grey suit fitting him to a T, the scarf resting firmly on his shoulders. His hair had been cut, now short. Despite the cut, his hair remained as untamed as ever. It did make him look so very different than whatever she figured they would presume someone named Adagium would look like: a frothing wild daemon that had to be put down. No, he was as human as them, at least on all outward appearances. She hoped that, at the very least, Regis could see the humanity that remained inside Ardyn. 

Leading the way was Ignis, with Taylor at his side. The two were in their Crownsguard best. Even though Ignis was the one presenting them and their case, having Taylor by her for a little longer helped in soothing her nerves. As they walked into the halls of the Citadel, Cassandra held her hands to keep them from shaking. Walking through the rooms of the Citadel, Ignis stopped at the Room of History. Cassandra looked to the paintings on the wall, a sense of somberness permeating the room. 

“What are the paintings for?” Ardyn asked softly, as if trying to start some sort of conversation in the room. She realized that he was talking to her a beat too late and looked to Ignis, who was preoccupied with Taylor giving her beloved a kiss. She returned her attention to Ardyn.

“Supposedly, they predict the coming of the True King.” She explained, walking over to the art. “You have the Oracle in the middle, the white wing representing her steadfast piety. She glows like the sun, a guiding light to the True King. Flanked by her are the kings of Lucis past, the Lucii. Then, below them, the True King and the allies that stay by his side and aided him in his trials.” She glanced to Ardyn, seeing the frown on his face. She continued, keeping an eye on him. “Below them as the Astrals, at least according to the artist who drew them. It’s strange that the Infernian is not represented, not even by the Glacian’s side. If anything, it should be the Fulgurian and the Archaean next to the Draconian while the Hydraean, Glacian, and Infernian sit on the right.” 

“And the blades?”

“Oh, the seven blades? I think they’re supposed to represent another aspect of the Draconian or the Royal Arms. Both could work. According to Prince Noctis, the ability for the royal line to summon weapons of past kings came from the Draconian. Perhaps they’re both, as they’re pointed down to the daemons born from the scourge of our star.” 

“And...that mark there?” Ardyn pointed to a mark towards the bottom of the art piece. 

“Oh, that? According to Ignis, that was from Prince Noctis when he was a child. I can’t blame him, children are just like that.” 

“...like what?” 

“Like that.” She shrugged. “They just are.” 

“...I don’t get it.” Ardyn muttered. 

“It is time.” Ignis spoke. The two turned to the advisor, looking as proper as ever. Taylor gave Cassandra a thumbs up as the doors open before she stood at attention. Cassandra looked forward, doing the same. With the doors opened, Ignis led them forward. The afternoon light poured into the throne room, bathing the metalwork surrounding the throne in gold. Glancing to the side, she noticed the five council members sitting patiently towards the front of the room. Despite the warmth of the day, she still couldn’t help but shiver at their intense gazes. Not being one to pray, she couldn’t help but offer a prayer to the Archaean for the strength to make it through this trial. 

They approached the throne, King Regis seated at the throne with his Shield by his side and a searching gaze. Glancing to the council members in attendance, she recognized the ministers, one of them being Acis Sceintia, minister of Science and uncle to Ignis (although an emotionally distant one, according to Taylor). She glanced to her boss, Minister Civitas of Domestic Affairs, who was busy shifting papers. He was always so focused on his work. It seemed that they were still collecting their thoughts about the whole situation about the release of Adagium, as nobody had spoken anything since they entered. 

“Cassandra Libera Aurelia.” She looked up, seeing the king addressing her directly. She swallowed nervously. “Let us begin this meeting by telling us what happened.” She took a breath to calm herself and nodded. 

“Yes, your majesty. It began when I was busy sailing the coast of Galdin, taking pictures of the coast to show my friend Taylor. My boat ended up at the island of Angelgarde. I sought the aid of any of the Kingsglaive, because I knew that there was someone usually stationed on the island. Instead of a glaive, I found Adagium.”

“And how did you free him?” King Regis asked. 

“My grandfather’s revolver had been blessed by the Oracle Reyna Fleuret when he stopped an assassination on her life. I had always assumed the tale was rather...out there but I’ve been told that only those blessed by the Oracle could break the chains that held Adagium so…” She trailed off awkwardly. King Regis nodded.

“Continue.” 

“After freeing him, I took him back to my cottage to tend to him. He could barely walk, much less stay standing for long. Under my care, he recovered.” 

“Did you not have any idea who he was?” Came the voice of the Minister of Public Health, Minister Iaso. 

“No, not at all. I was not told of Adagium by anyone nor did I find any mention of Adagium in Lucian history books.” She glanced to Ardyn. Ardyn was quiet, letting Cassandra have the floor, but she could see he wasn’t too happy at the situation. 

“Did you not consider that he is a daemon in disguise?” Came the slightly condescending voice of the Minister of the Treasury, Epiphron Plutus. Cassandra frowned. 

“No, it did not occur to me that he could have been a daemon. I saw a man in need and I came to his aid, nothing more.” 

“You could have gotten yourself killed.” The minister retorted. 

“If I died helping a man I saw in need, then I would consider that a good death.” She narrowed her eyes at Minister Plutus. The minister grumbled, turning to Minister Civitas as if to tell him to reprimand someone under his department before realizing that Minister Civitas was grinning widely. He let out a frustrated sigh. 

“Miss Aurelia.” Minister Iaso began. “Tell me, have you felt ill since taking in Adagium? I believe ancient legends stated that Adagium’s very presence could sicken people.” 

“Ill? No, not at all.” Cassandra shook her head. “In fact, the only thing I feel is tired, and that is only because Niflheim flew over Galdin to Angelgarde.” 

“What!?” Minister Civitas stood. “They were so close to Insomnian airspace, I knew it!” He slammed his fist on his desk, causing Cassandra to wince. Minister Civitas turned to King Regis. “Your Majesty, we need an increased presence in the territories around the Crown City-” 

“Now hold on!” Minister Iaso snapped. “We still have Adagium. We cannot have the scourge within the walls of Insomnia!” Minister Civitas spun to Minister Iaso. 

“Well, what’s worse? Scourge or decimation from Niflheim?” 

“Considering that a Niff” Iaso pointed accusingly at Cassandra “Released Adagium, we might as well have both kill us all! They’re already infiltrating our Crownsguard!” The faintest gasp could be heard outside the door.

“Enough!” King Regis called, causing the two to look to their king. “Miss Aurelia has not finished regaling us what happened.” The two ministers bristled slightly as they returned to their seats. 

“There...there isn’t much more to tell, your majesty.” Cassandra said, her voice wavering just a little. “I just-” 

“I propose we exile her.” Minister Iaso grumbled bitterly. “She’s obviously a Niff spy.” 

“I’m sorry, do you plan to exile my best worker?” Minister Civitas asked in disbelief. “No, we’re keeping her. She works better than anyone else in my own department!” 

“The law states that traitors to the state are given the death penalty.” The voice of the Minister of Arts, Eucleia Praeditus, stated dryly. “And since Adagium is an enemy of the state, give him the same.” 

“If only we could seal Adagium away again, like the ancient Lucians did.” Murmured the Minister of Science and Research, Acis Scientia. Ignis glanced sympathetically to Cassandra as the five began to debate what to do about Adagium and Cassandra. Cassandra was quite certain a punishment was in order (the law certainly would agree with Ministers Iaso and Praeditus) but no Lucian had ever attempted, much less freed, the feared Adagium from Angelgarde. She looked to Ardyn, who was looking increasingly incensed at the senseless bickering around him. His gaze had moved from the ministers, squarely centered on the king sitting on his throne. The two looked as if they were in some mental battle and the world was nothing more than distant angry voices. She thought she saw the faintest of nods from King Regis. A scarlet glow surrounded him, the echo of weapons shimmering in the light, before they flared out behind him into the vague shape of wings formed by the many weapons. The advisors let out a gasp of surprise. The glaives in the room quickly surrounded them, weapons ready to slay Ardyn, with Ignis instinctively moving in front of Cassandra. Regis raised a hand, silently calling off the glaives. Clarus stared at Regis, as if wondering and fearing what the old King was planning. Ardyn stepped forward past the glaives, the weapons fading behind him now that all eyes were upon him. Cassandra saw him smile, just faintly, as if he finally had something he had been denied ever since they entered the room. 

"Now now, all this bickering about me..." He began. "And no one thought to ask me what I thought of this whole sordid affair." He turned to the advisors. "Death penalties, exile, cruel ways to die...tsk tsk." He shook his head. "Now, if any one of you harm my  _ dear _ savior, I will be...most displeased." The weight of his words and the darkened tone of his voice, the closest he could do to threaten them, made Cassandra shiver. He glanced at her, his gaze softening for a brief moment, before returning his gaze back to King Regis. 

"Now, about the thought of exile, it is to my knowledge that your enemies are this...empire of Niflheim. I am aware Cassandra is, in the grand scheme of things in the Crown City, just one cog that could easily be replaced in a machine. But actions have consequences. And that consequence...is that I will go where she goes. If you do exile her, you are delivering  _ us _ into the hands of your enemies. That is a terrible strategy for war...and I would know much about war." He let out a dramatic sigh. "I wonder what sort of cruel experiments they would do to me, what they could unleash upon the citizenry with that knowledge. Such a dreadful thought." 

"Say we do keep you in our kingdom. What do you want?" Regis asked, voice calm despite Ardyn's mild theatrics. 

"Ah, well, let us start with the basics: Cassandra is not going anywhere if you want my cooperation and I will not be sent back to Angelgarde. Do you realize how painful and almost maddening it is, being chained up for so long in the dark? And we can talk details about more...long-term plans later." Ardyn replied. Regis appeared to mull over his terms. Cassandra thought she saw him glance to Clarus but mentally shook the thought from her mind. It must have been a trick of the light.

"For the peace of mind of my advisors, a glaive will be assigned to keep an eye on you." Ardyn let out a sigh, crossing his arms. 

"Always the advisors...tch" Cassandra heard him murmur before he rose his voice for Regis and his advisors to hear. "And who will this glaive be?"

"Nyx Ulric." Cassandra blinked at the name. Nyx was a hero of the Kingsglaive, from Galahd (not Gralea, why did she think he was from Gralea again? Probably from reading his file too quickly or misheard Galahd as Gralea. Certainly not going to mention that to him), and he was being chosen to guard them? She couldn't imagine him being too pleased at this arrangement, from a front-line hero to becoming a bodyguard for what was widely considered the most dangerous man to walk Eos. She expected Ardyn to object but he just let out a sigh.

"Very well. I do hope that your faith is not misplaced." Ardyn bowed, but Cassandra guessed it was only out of politeness rather than respect. The door suddenly slammed open, followed by a loud ‘oomf!’ Cassandra turned, seeing a pile of glaives, with Prince Noctis on top of that pile. Behind the small pile was Taylor, who held up her hands, and Nyx, who was looking upon the situation with a soft humored smile. King Regis let out a soft sigh, standing up and making his way carefully down the throne to come face to face with Ardyn. 

“Tell me, who are you?” He asked. Ardyn closed his eyes in thought. 

“Ardyn Lucis Caelum. The...Crystal chose me first, before my brother took my throne and my love.” His voice, despite being polite, still held a bitterness that even Cassandra could taste. Regis nodded. 

“I see. It seems there is much I do not know about the line I am a part of...and the secrets that come with such a long lineage.” Regis let out a sigh, as if the events of the meeting had drained him. “If I have the time, I would like to invite you to tell me what happened all those years ago. But first, there is the matter of where you are staying.” Ardyn let out a confused hum. “My advisors-” 

“Oh, them.” He frowned. “Do they expect me to stay in a cell for them?” 

“Most likely.” Regis sighed. “But I will not make it so. If the Founder King sealed his own kin away, then it must fall upon his descendents to make things right.” Cassandra couldn’t help but breathe out a sigh of relief. Everything was going to be OK.


	6. Settling In

“Come on Prompto.” Nyx said, gently kicking the shoe of the Crownsguard splayed out on the ground. “I may be called a hero, but I’m not carrying you.”

“I spent the whole day carrying boxes!” He whined. “Now I gotta climb stairs!?” 

“It’s only one flight from the elevator Prompto. Not the end of the world. And we only had two boxes to deal with: my clothes and the dishes.” Cassandra sighed. “His Majesty was quite gracious to give us a royal suite.” She looked to the couple of boxes next to her. It had been a few hours since the meeting. As Ardyn was related to the Lucis Caelums (his armiger proved that), there were certain protocols to be followed. One of them being setting him up with a residence in the Citadel and, because Ardyn stated so boldly that he would go where she went, she was technically now a resident in the Citadel which was why she was moving into the suite as well. She had changed into something more movable for the move, pants and a t-shirt that she got from Wiz’ Chocobo Post depicting a pair of racing chocobos. Speaking of Ardyn, he was with King Regis and Prince Noctis in the royal library. While she was getting the royal suite given to her and Ardyn settled, the trio of Lucians were clarifying history and planning ways to make it more well-known to the populace of Lucis. Of course, Gladio and Clarus were there as well, as they were the shields of the Prince and King respectively (although that made her wonder who Ardyn’s Shield was, if he even had one before the whole affair of the Mystic King usurping him). 

“Well, Ardyn is a member of the royal family. It only makes sense.” Ignis pointed out. 

“A daemon masquerading as a royal, in my opinion.” Cara muttered, pulling a strand of deep red hair back. “I don’t care if he was supposed to be the Founder King and the Mystic usurped him, he’s still a daemon. I don’t trust him.” Her steel grey eyes narrowed at Cassandra. “You’re on thin ice in all regards. What if he daemonizes the royals of Lucis and brings upon night eternal?” 

“He wouldn’t.” Cassandra pointed out. “He’s had plenty of chances to do so. He could’ve daemonized me at any ti-”

“That’s a lot of trust you place in someone that’s supposed to be the damn apocalypse.” Cara pointed out. “Did it ever occur to you that he might be playing the long game with the end goal of killing us all?” 

“Oh there she goes, all doom and gloom.” Nyx chuckled. Cara whipped around to face him.

“Oh don’t you start with me Ulric!” 

“Glaives, glaives, you’re both heros!” Prompto jumped up to stop the fighting. Cassandra always found his energy and limberness impressive. He picked up the box of clothes and tried to push the elevator button. “I-I can’t reach the button!” 

“Hit it with your toe. Or your knee. Or something.” Cassandra suggested. Prompto wiggled as he tried to hit the button before Ignis sighed and pushed it for him. 

“Thanks Iggy!” Prompto said cheerfully. 

“I would rather not have you crushed by a box of clothes. Noct would be quite upset if you met your demise by clothes.” 

“Yeah, that would be a pretty terrible way to go.” Prompto chuckled weakly as the elevator door opened. “Oh, Tay! Hi! Can you get the fragile stuff?” 

“Wait, why me?” 

“Well, you’ve got steady hands and stuff!”

“Stuff.” Ignis sighed. “Really?”

“Yeah! She knows lots of cool stuff! And I bet Cass would feel better with Tay carrying the fragile stuff.” 

“Prom...the fragile stuff is just dishes. They’re replaceable.” 

“But they’re heavy.” Taylor pointed out as she went over to pick up the box. She lifted it up with ease, earning a happy noise from Prompto.

“See!” 

“Just get in the elevator.” Cassandra said, crossing her arms and smiling fondly at the blond. “The boxes won’t grow legs and go in on their own.”

“If they did, then we’d have a problem.” Ignis added as Prompto disappeared behind the elevator doors. “...someone should’ve gone with him.”

“He can wait for Taylor.” Cassandra pointed out. 

“Prompto? Wait? You’re out of your mind.” Cara huffed. “That boy can run a mile in five minutes and not even break a sweat.” 

“Four minutes.” Nyx corrected. 

“Bullshit! Only Pelna has that record.” 

“Nope. Pelna was 5 minutes 8 seconds. Prompto was 4 minutes 55 seconds. Barely under five minutes but it counts.” Nyx smiled. “Pelna took up cleaning duty that was supposed to be Prompto’s duty for the day because he was that impressed.” Nyx explained. Cara let out a huff.

“Explains the energy. It’s like he’s bottled up the sun.” 

“Anyways, let’s finish moving me into the suite. I’m the only one with stuff.” Cassandra said. 

“Did Ardyn come with anything?” Ignis asked. 

“A bag of clothes and that’s about it. Unfortunately, I doubt there’s fishing spots in the city that never sleeps, so poor Ardyn will have to go without his fishing pole. I’m quite certain Minister Civitas would lose his head if Ardyn and Noctis disappeared to Galdin to fish.” Cassandra explained. “No amount of explanation would approve a trip down there.” 

“Can’t blame him, or anyone really.” Nyx said softly. “But we have to trust the judgement of King Regis.”

“Even if we don’t like said judgement.” Cara added. “It’s no secret I don’t trust daemons as far as I can throw them but if His Majesty says he’s staying, then who am I to argue?” 

“It does not hurt to be cautious.” Ignis pointed out as the elevator returned and opened. The four entered the elevator and went up to the floor where the royal suite was. Cassandra knew that Cara and Ignis were perhaps the most cautious glaives to walk the halls of the Citadel and only Ardyn’s actions would convince them to trust him. In fact, she was quite certain nobody aside from her trusted Ardyn. Not that she could blame them, they knew him as a one-man apocalypse waiting to happen. It was only by his Majesty’s faith in her that they were still here, that she wasn’t being taken to the execution block or a one way trip back to Niflheim (where she’d probably be executed for being a traitor to the Empire) and he wasn’t being dragged back to Angelgarde in chains. Although perhaps the reason neither were happening was because of the presence of the Niffs in Galdin Quay and Angelgarde, which meant that keeping Ardyn was more a matter of denying a potential weapon to the Niffs than actually thinking there was anything redeemable in him. 

Oh how fickle fate was sometimes.

A soft ‘ding!’ pulled her from her thoughts, the door opening to the floor. Stepping out, Cassandra glanced to the nearby window. They were high above Insomnia, the city below washed in late-afternoon light. It was almost picturesque, something an artist would love to spend hours on painting. Or a moment, if you were Prompto with a camera. 

Speaking of Prompto, she turned to make her way to the staircase, going up the stairs quickly. It would be rude to keep Prompto waiting at the door to the suite. Pulling the keys out of her pocket, she made her way down the hall. She saw Prompto at the end of the hall, the young man wiggling impatiently as she approached. She unlocked the door and let it swing open...into a mostly empty suite. The dark marble of the walls and the tiled black and white floor looked nice but it made the suite feel cold and empty, emptier than it already was feeling right now. 

“...are they supposed to be empty?” Prompto asked, poking his head inside. She let out a sigh.

“Probably to allow customization or because nobody used this suite.” She said as she stepped inside. Wandering around, she mentally counted the things that were actually _ in _ the suite: the necessary appliances, a pair of exceptionally large beds (one in each bedroom, Altissia Queen beds if she had to guess), and drawers in the respective bedrooms for clothes (she didn’t consider the closets already in the room as ‘furniture’). As she rounded back to the living room, the rest of the group were already filing in. She could tell by Cara’s scowl (or at least, the more disgusted version of that scowl) that she wasn’t pleased. 

“The hell is this?” She grumbled. “It’s as barren as Leide, and that’s an insult to Leide!” Nyx shrugged. 

“I think this is what they call ‘a fixer upper’.” He commented. Prompto slid the box of clothes into the room with a hum with Taylor following him to set the box of dishes next to the box of clothes.

“Well, whatever it is, it gives us plenty of room to put boxes!” He said, sliding the box to the side. “Which means this whole moving things gonna go on a lot longer than I think we intended to.”

“For one thing, we need sheets, blankets, and pillows for the beds because they’re just bed frames and mattresses.” Cassandra pointed out. She walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet, watching water pour. Turning it off, she went and opened up the fridge. The interior lit up. “We have water and electricity, which I expected but wanted to make sure. We’ll need food for the fridge, something that isn’t Cup Noodles. Gladio may think he can survive off them but I certainly won’t.” 

“They’re not that bad.” Cara shrugged as she spoke. 

“I’ll give you that, but I’ll get sick from all the salt if I eat too many of them.” Cassandra pointed out. “And I have no idea how Ardyn will react to all the salt in Cup Noodles because who knows what was the diet of people who lived two thousand years ago?” 

“What’s a Cup Noodle?” Everyone whipped around to see Ardyn standing in the doorway. Cassandra made a face.

“It’s a type of fast food. It’s easy to make and easy to sell. It’s...noodles and flavored broth in a cup.” She explained as she made her way to him. “Anyways, how was the meeting?” His gaze wandered around the barren suite. 

“It went...well.” He said slowly. “Is this to be our suite?” 

“Er, yes. I think it’s barren because it’s for nobles to move into with their own stuff. But we have water and lights and beds so…all we need is furnishings. More importantly, we need blankets and sheets and pillows. And I still need all my things moved into the suite. We got all my clothes and the dishes here right now, but to move furniture requires a bit more...planning.” 

“Planning? How so?” 

“Picking out the furniture, getting people to move it here, that sort of thing.” Cassandra waved her hand. “I wonder though…” 

“Wonder what?” 

“Well, the suite is empty of furnishings, aside from the essentials. I’ll need to see how much was allocated to making this place feel like...a home.” She turned to Ardyn. “Your home. Not a prison, not a temporary place to stay while the world slowly awoke to your presence, a real home.” She smiled to him. There was a quiet before Cassandra was brought back to Eos by a groan from Cara.

“God, that was fucking mushy.” She grumbled. Nyx laughed softly and gently elbowed her.

“You’re one to talk, I’ve seen you with Gladi-”

“Don’t even start!” Cara growled, her face almost as red as her hair. 

“Ok you two, thanks for all the help but I’m not going to have you brawl in Ardyn’s suite.” Cassandra went over to separate the two before they started wrestling in Ardyn’s own home. Ardyn stepped inside, looking around quietly. Cara swiftly left the room, Cassandra presumed she was going down to the training rooms to let out some steam. 

“Well, call me if you need anything.” Prompto winked at Cassandra before rushing out of the room. Cassandra nodded to him as he left, her gaze downward as she thought about what to do next. There was so much to be done…no, she had to focus. Right now, they needed sheets and pillowcases and blankets. Furniture could come in the next few days, right now, they needed a place to sleep and she would not let Ardyn sleep on bare mattress. 

“Ardyn, do you have a preference for what color the sheets are?” She finally asked. 

“...well…” He let out a thoughtful hum. “Red. A deep red, almost maroon.” 

“The color of red wine that you’re so fond of?” Cassandra asked, a gentle teasing in her voice. 

“Yes, the very same color.” Ardyn grinned. 

“Well, that’s the closest you’re going to get to wine.” She made her way to the door. Ardyn chuckled softly before following her out, along with the others. “Tay, Ignis, thank you for helping with today. I’ll make sure to give Prompto something as thanks.”

“As long as it’s not another stuffed chocobo.” Ignis warned. 

“You can _ never _ have enough stuffed chocobos!” 

* * *

One shopping trip for Altissian Queen sheets, the matching pillowcases, and a pair of exceptionally fluffy blankets later, Cassandra lay on her new bed. Her arms ached from trying to get the sheets on the bed, more familiar with smaller beds then the gigantic mattress that was the Altissian Queen. 

But hey, they at least had something nice to sleep on. Even if her arms ached from actually setting up the bed. She slowly sat up and made her way to the kitchen, where the pizza she had ordered, a simple cheese pizza with a side of garlic breadsticks, on the way back to the Citadel lay. She opened the box and began to take a slice. 

“Is that the pizza you were talking about earlier?” She jumped, staring at the man who was now right next to her.

“Ardyn! Warn me when you’re coming next time!” She yelped. After she had a moment to catch her breath (and feel bad for the guilt on his face), she nodded. “Yes, this is pizza. Thin bread, tomato sauce, and cheese. I mean, you could add other toppings onto it such as anchovies and sweet peppers but I prefer the plain cheese.” She said, taking the slice she nearly dropped onto the floor and putting it on a plate. “If you don’t like that, there’s breadsticks. I quite like the breadsticks.” She said as she took a breadstick and put it on her plate. She began to eat the pizza, watching Ardyn carefully as he looked to be deliberating between the pizza and breadsticks. Finally, he took one of the smaller slices of pizza and began to eat. She quickly pulled out a plate for him, sliding it in front of him. He made a face and set the pizza down quickly. Was it too hot? Or was he having a reaction to the ingredients? How could she deal with someone who was two thousand years old having an allergic reaction? 

“I don’t like it.” 

Oh. Well, that was easier than allergic reaction that could’ve killed him. Even if he was two thousand years old and probably more daemon than human. 

“What don’t you like about it?” 

“There’s too much oil and salt, the tomatoes used are terrible, and this is what you call bread?” He pointed to the crust. “Back in my day, bread was thick enough to throw and knock out a man. Or a daemon, if you were unlucky enough to have one run up to you while having a nice picnic.” Cassandra stared at him, unable to form words for a few minutes.

“I...uh...I’m sorry? The oil I can at least fix by dabbing napkins on the surface but the rest? Not what I can control. But I can say this: It’s not cloned meat.” Now it was Ardyn’s turn to look dumbfounded. 

“Cloned...meat?” 

“Yes. Cloned meat. It’s a little hard to explain, some stupidly complicated science is involved, and it’s one of the most disgusting things I have ever eaten.” The bewildered look of disgust something she expected from him. “And before you ask, I did not eat it by choice. Bethisia sent cloned meat sandwiches to the departments of Niflheim as a free lunch sort of deal. We didn’t find out until after we finished eating.”

“That does not make it any better.” 

“I agree. Pizza was like ambrosia after that.” He looked to the pizza quietly. “There’s probably someone out there who makes things the way you remember them, although probably not exactly, but they aren’t in Insomnia.” Or at least, the more populated areas of Insomnia. What lay in dark alleyways and backstreets far from the city center was not something she knew about nor was she sure if she wanted to go that far away from the safer streets. Unless she had Nyx or a couple glaives willing to go explore the city’s seedier underground, which she was certain that they wouldn’t do just to sate curiosity. 

“We should go find someone who does.” Ardyn’s voice roused her from her thoughts. She looked up to him, seeing that determined look in his eyes made her feel weak for a brief moment.

“I’ll see what I can do, after we get a more complete wardrobe for you. We have a suit, a couple day outfits, and pajamas but you need at least a week’s worth of clothes before we talk about your food preferences.” Cassandra said pointedly, taking a bite out of the breadstick. “And that’s not even counting what Minister Iaso wants to do with you.” She took a mental note of the frown. “Look, I know you don’t like him. I think Iaso has a log up his ass but he does want the best for the Crown City.”

“You’re defending a man who tried to exile you.” 

“I know that. I understand why he’d want to exile us. You’re still the embodiment of the scourge, which turns people into daemons. What if your very presence gets people ill?” 

“You’re not ill though.” 

“I know that but he didn’t. I’m no more fond of exile as anyone else but he was thinking of the people of Insomnia.” Ardyn buried his face into his hand. 

“Oh Cassandra…your kindness will kill me someday.”

_ ‘That’s rich coming from an immortal.’ _ Cassandra thought, keeping her mouth shut. “There’s no point being cruel in an already cruel world.” She said, taking another bite. “And so I will be recklessly kind until I’m dead. I would have it no other way.” Ardyn had pulled his hand back to look at her, Cassandra noticing the quiet awe on his face. She blushed a little and went back to finishing her pizza. 

Ardyn didn’t say a word the rest of the night, but he did finish what he took.


	7. Out on the Town

It wasn’t often Cassandra dared to borrow one of the cars meant for employees of the kingdom but, given her new job as ‘Warden of Adagium’ (she hated that title, Ardyn was more than the daemons under his skin), she presumed she had a bit more clout to throw around. Thankfully, nobody tried to stop her. 

She drove down the city streets of the Crown City, Ardyn and Nyx in the backseat of the car. It had been a few days after they moved into the suite, as Cassandra was whizzed around between meetings with the Council, getting the suite furnished, and looking between phone plans because _ everyone had a cell phone he needed one too not because she wanted to call him and make sure he was OK on the rare occasion they weren’t together. _ To finally have a free day to furnish that wardrobe of his was a godsend. Ardyn had a white button-up shirt, pants, and his now-signature scarf, Cassandra managed to procure some boots for him in the time she had running around the streets of the Crown City looking for furnishings for the suite that she thought he would like. As for Nyx, the Kingsglaive was wearing a black t-shirt, black leather pants, and combat boots. Cassandra was quite certain his kukris knives were hiding in said boots but didn’t say anything about it. She had encouraged the two to talk, starting with an inquiry about Galahd. As she listened, it seemed as if Galahd was nothing more than a peaceful part of Lucis where anyone could visit. A sense of guilt began to bubble, knowing that such a visit to Galahd was impossible since the receding of the Wall to the Crown City. Niflheim had taken over the area, along with the other regions of Lucis. The Crown City was really the last bastion for the kingdom but that would only last as long as King Regis remained alive. As for his son, she wasn’t sure if he was ready to handle the responsibility of becoming king or the sacrifices entailed in protecting his kingdom. But what did she know, a commoner who just worked with the day-to-day dealings of running the Crown City? 

Mentally shrugging off that train of thought, she rolled into the parking lot of the Crown City Mall. Today was going to be a light-hearted day of getting Ardyn a more complete wardrobe, a day where they were just everyday people, or as close as they could be given their pasts. Turning off the car, she stepped out. 

“We’re here.” She said, walking over to open Ardyn’s door for him. He stepped out, Cassandra noticing the frown on his face. “Is something wrong?”

“No no, I’m just not used to cars.” 

“You’ll have to learn at some point.” Nyx pointed out. Cassandra laughed softly.

“Are you encouraging rule-breaking, Ulric?” 

“Of course not but I didn’t train to become a professional chauffeur.” Nyx said with a grin on his face. Cassandra laughed, closing the door behind Ardyn.

“Touche, good glaive.” Cassandra winked to Nyx before leading Ardyn to the mall. Nyx followed behind, looking lazy and casual and totally not like the glaive he actually was. As they approached the mall entrance, Cassandra saw a familiar face waving at them. 

  
“Cass! Over here!” Taylor called. Cassandra laughed softly as she led the two to her and Ignis. She had invited them to come along with this little excursion and to have a little ‘girl time’ with her friend Taylor. She had worked so hard taking care of Ardyn and dealing with the stress of that one meeting with King Regis, she needed a little time for herself. 

“So, what is the plan for today?” Ignis asked.

“I need you and Nyx to help Ardyn fill out his closet. I need a little girl time with my bestie.” She wrapped an arm around Taylor’s shoulder. “And I trust you boys to behave yourselves.” 

“I will ensure that we are on our best behavior.” Ignis said, bowing to her. Taylor quickly shot forward to steal a smooch, causing Ignis to blush. “Ahem...anyways, you need not worry.” He said to Cassandra. She smiled.

“We meet up in the foot court at lunch. You know where that is, right?” 

“Of course. Although it pales in what I can prep-”

“The most work you’re going to do today is help Ardyn with getting a more complete wardrobe for all occasions. That’s it.” Cassandra interrupted him. “You’re the most fashionable person I know, that’s why I’m having you help.” Ignis raised an eyebrow before looking to Nyx and Ardyn.

“Shall we then?” 

“Let’s go.” Nyx nodded. Ardyn passed a lingering glance to Cassandra as the three walked into the mall with Ignis leading the way. Cassandra watched him go, shifting a little before turning to Taylor. 

“So, anywhere you wanna go?” She asked, leaning back a little. Taylor looked thoughtful. 

“Hmm...you remember that one store we went to when you finally got into Insomnia?” 

“Umm…” Cassandra squinted as she thought hard about it. “What was it called…?”

“Clouds!” Taylor interjected with a laugh. “It’s still there, how about we visit for old times sake?” 

“Sounds like a good place to start.” Cassandra hummed, letting Taylor lead her inside. The mall was glimmered as brightly as ever, the clean tile glimmering in the sunlight. The Crown City Mall was known for being one of the best malls in Insomnia, which was why Taylor had taken her here all those years ago, why she had brought Ardyn here with Nyx and Ignis. You could find everything and anything here, from food to entertainment and anything in-between. 

A brief moment of worry struck her: would all this elegance be too much for Ardyn? She whipped out her phone.

_ [To: Nyx] How’s Ardyn handling all this? Is he being overstimulated at all? _

“Who are you texting?”

“Nyx. I’m worried about Ardyn handling all thi-” Her phone buzzed in her hands and she looked down to the response Nyx gave her.

_ [From: Nyx] He’s got a dozen questions and Ignis is answering all of them and more. I think he’s fine. _

Cassandra let out a sigh of relief at the text. 

“He’s fine. I’m glad. I was worried that the glitz and glam of the Crown City Mall would be too much for him.” 

“You really think he’d get bewildered by the mall?”

“I don’t think they had malls two thousand years ago, at least nothing like the ones in the Crown City.” Cassandra pointed out. Taylor laughed softly.

“I think they did. They’d just be called markets and they’d be open air!” Cassandra blushed.

“Well, when you put it like that…” She hummed thoughtfully. Taylor took her hand and pulled her into Clouds, a large clothing store. The light blue paint and white accents made the store really feel like it was in the clouds, hence the name. Taylor pulled her to the dresses. 

“So, how was your date with Ignis?” Cassandra asked. “And where did you go, if I may so boldly ask?” 

“O-Oh, he took me to Galdin Quay for dinner. Then we spent a nice evening walking down the beach together. Afterwards we came home and we-” she covered her mouth and blushed. Perhaps too much information. She shyly held out a hand to show Cassandra the beautiful diamond ring she now wore. Cassandra gasped.

“You’re engaged?” She whispered breathlessly. “Ignis had so much riding on that meeting, now I’m really glad everything worked out.” She covered her mouth a little, trying to contain her joy. 

“I wanted to ask you… would you be the maid of honor, Cassandra?” Taylor smiled sheepishly and gently took her hands.

“Of course!” She squeezed her hands back, jumping a little. “I’m honored Tay, I really am.” She pulled Taylor into a firm hug, squeezing her happily. They stayed there for a few minutes before she let her go. “So, anything I shouldn’t wear to your wedding?”

“Just don’t wear white.” She giggled softly. “I do plan to look at dresses for the bridesmaids, and I was hoping you’d help us choose them as well as my own.”

“No white, got it. Everything Lucis has is either black or gold.” She replied playfully. “Of course I’d help as much as I can. I wonder how good blue would look on me.” She looked at her hand, a look of mock thoughtfulness on her face before laughing softly. “But this is your wedding Tay, not mine. You need to decide what I get to wear, even if I get to have a say in it.” A pang of desire struck her heart but why, she could not discern. If Taylor noticed, she didn’t mention it. “Anyways, where’s it going to be at?”

“Oh, Galdin Quay.” Taylor said. “A nice beachside wedding would be lovely, with the waves and the sunset in the background.” 

“Just make sure Noctis isn’t in the background fishing. That would probably ruin the shot.” Cassandra gently teased. 

“I bet Ignis has already planned for that.” Taylor hummed as they moved through the dresses. Cassandra looked at the options dismissively and quietly moved onto the shirts, Taylor following her. “So, what’s it like, being promoted to ‘Warden of Adagium’?” She asked, soft to prevent prying ears from listening. Cassandra rolled her eyes.

“It’s like taking care of a toddler in an adult’s body. I hate that my title includes Adagium, it’s like dead-naming a trans person.” Cassandra huffed, pulling a shirt off the rack to inspect it (or at least look busy enough). 

“I’ve seen you run around the Citadel. Are the ministers giving you a hard time?” Taylor asked. Cassandra let out a hum. 

“Sort of. Yesterday, Iaso was examining him and figured out how the scourge affected him. When he’s not outwardly showing off that side, he’s as harmless as you and I.” 

“Harmless? Me?” Taylor raised an eyebrow. Cassandra let out a soft short laugh.

“Relatively speaking. He’s not going to infect others unless he deliberately tries to. He seemed relieved at that discovery.” She pulled back, putting the shirt back. She turned around, looking at another shirt. 

“And Ardyn himself? How is he treating you?” 

“He’s so nice.” Cassandra smiled. “He’s the perfect gentleman but I can tell he hates being cooped up in the Citadel. I wish I could get permission to let him out more often.” 

“On dates?” Taylor grinned. 

“What? No. Just in general. I just managed to get him _ a phone _, a flip phone no less. You think they’ll let me take him out on dates?” Cassandra asked. She blinked before groaning. “Oh no, here it goes…”

“You like him.” Taylor hummed. 

“Fine. I like him. Happy?” Cassandra crossed her arms. Taylor giggled. “Not that it would ever be reciprocated.” 

“What makes you say that?” 

“My competition is an Oracle. The First Oracle, Aera Fleuret.” She admitted. “How can I, a commoner, even compare to someone as extraordinary as her? He still dreams of her at night, I sometimes hear him murmuring her name when I check up on him to see if he’s having a nightmare or not.” 

“Well, for one thing, she’s not with us anymore. You’re here, not her.” Taylor pointed out. Cassandra winced.

“Harsh.”

“But it’s true.” Taylor pulled out a shirt to look at it. “You need to tell him how you feel in the future, or it’s gonna slip out of your grasp.” 

“Does he even like me like that though?” Cassandra asked, a soft sadness in her voice. “I don’t think he does. I think he’s grateful that I saved him and guiding him through Insomnia and what happened while he was asleep but...that’s about it. 

“Are you certain about that?” Taylor asked. Cassandra looked to the floor, unable to meet her gaze with certainty. She didn’t exactly know what went on in Ardyn’s head, him being the walking enigma that he was. 

“...no.”

“Then there’s still hope for you.” Taylor pointed out. “You just need faith in yourself.” Cassandra let out a sigh, picking up a shirt that had a snipped sylleblossom patch embroidered above the breast, some sort of punk design if she had to guess. 

“Even if I had the faith, there’s still the fact that I’m competing with her. Even if she’s not here with us, he still holds her memory so close. He’s not over her and...I don’t think he ever will be. I don’t know what killed her but it obviously took a number on him. I don’t want to force him into a relationship when he’s not ready for one.” She explained patiently. Taylor put away the shirt in her hand.

“I guess you have me there. But when he’s ready, you better jump on that. A man like him doesn’t come very often.” She said. Cassandra chuckled.

“If he even likes me that way, I’ll tr-” She jumped as her phone buzzed. She pulled it out and opened it. “It’s a text from Nyx.” 

“Why Nyx? Didn’t you say Ardyn had a phone already?”

“I did, hold on lemme see what he wa-” She blushed a deep red at the picture. It was Ardyn, dressed with a trenchcoat and pinstripe trousers. On his shoulders was a floral grey and white mantle, accented by the red scarf. 

_ [From: Nyx] Ignis thinks this is terrible. It makes him happy so I’m all for it. What do you say? _

“He’s asking if I think his outfit looks great or not.” She breathed. Taylor looked over to the picture. 

“Hm. It definitely looks interest-” By the time she was midway through her sentence, Cassandra was already typing a response to him.

_ [To: Nyx] I love it. _

“You’re madly in love Cass.” Taylor pointed out. 

“I’m aware of it.” Cassandra replied dryly, putting her phone in her pocket. “But does he love me? Will he ever get over Aera?” 

“Well, there’s a way to find out.” Taylor grinned. “Double date.” Cassandra looked at her, balking.

“A double date. With a man who has trouble with microwaves. Oh Astrals almighty…” 

“Ignis can cook for us. Then we just go enjoy a night out. All four of us.” Taylor suggested. Cassandra just held her head. 

“Sure...I...ok, and where would we go?” 

“Hmm...maybe one of the many parks in Insomnia. I know one has a really nice fish garden.” Taylor hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe one of the libraries? Ignis loves libraries.” 

“A double date sounds nice but I would need to clear it with...the council.” Cassandra sighed. “They determine if and when he’s let out and about. Even though Minister Iaso said he’s ok to be out and about amongst the people, the council is still...fickle about where he can go. His majesty may have fast-tracked this excursion but only because I was insistent on what Ardyn needed was this excursion to make him more presentable.” 

“Is he allowed in meetings?” Taylor asked.

“...I haven’t taken him, actually.” Cassandra admitted. “I’ve taken him to the library of the Citadel to read up on what he missed while I was off in meetings, because him being in meetings won’t help him understand what’s going on in the Crown City if he doesn’t have the context of Lucian history. Once he’s read up, I’ll see if he can attend in the first place.” 

“At least he’s learning Lucian history. I don’t see what he’d gain from learning Niff history.” Taylor murmured.

“Good luck finding anything not colored by Imperial favoritism.” She huffed. “Textbooks were being changed the night the whole ‘betray your fellow neighbor’ thing became a thing.” She looked to Taylor sympathetically. “I’m glad you missed out on that terrible affair. It was awful.” 

“Hey, we’re not here to talk about the bad times in the Empire.” Taylor crossed her arms. “We’re here to have a nice relaxing day in the Crown City Mall.” Cassandra blinked before nodding.

“Y-Yeah, nice relaxing day.” She nodded and put away the shirt. “Relaxing...relaxing...ahah! That shirt looks relaxing!” She picked up another shirt, a soft white shirt with the imprint of sylleblossoms all over it. “It’s as if it took a spa day.” 

“You need a spa day.” Taylor pointed out. 

“Well, that’s something for the next girl’s day out.” Cassandra hummed, looking at the price. “Twenty crowns…sure, why not.” She shrugged and looked to Taylor. “Anything that caught your eye?” 

“This one, twenty-five crowns.” Taylor showed her a blue-rose themed shirt. Cassandra nodded at the design. As much as she wanted to splurge, her mind went back to Ardyn and his needs. He was getting the lion’s share of the budget for clothes, she didn’t have the crowns to splurge on herself. It just would have to be one of those sacrifices that she would have to make. 

“Anything else?” She asked. Taylor looked around before letting out a gasp. 

“Oh, that shirt looks cute!” She pulled Cassandra, who was chuckling as she was pulled along, to another rack. The shirt depicted a chocobo fast asleep next to a book. 

“That shirt is super cute. You think Prompto would wear it?” Cassandra joked.

“He probably has it. If not that, probably some super rare limited edition version of it with a red chocobo.” Taylor picked up the shirt and briefly looked at the price. “Twenty crowns.”

“To his credit, chocobos are super cute. I wonder…”

“Wonder what?” Taylor asked, a mischievous grin on her face. 

“If a trip to the chocobo farm in Cleigne would be possible. But that would require breaking the blockage at Leide, which would require someone to go out there and take on the Niffs.” Cassandra sighed. “At least I hear that Wiz’s chocobos are left alone from the Niffs. They can be mean if you piss those birds off.” 

“Really?” 

“Well, Wiz said so and I’m not gonna deliberately piss off a chocobo to find out.” Cassandra shrugged as she went to the register to pay for the shirt. As much as she wanted to splurge some more, she had a two-thousand year old man to keep an eye on. 

_ [To: Nyx] Progress? _

_ [From: Nyx] Check-out. Ardyn has some interesting tastes. _

Cassandra raised an eyebrow at that. 

_ [To: Nyx] Define interesting. _

_ [From: Nyx] He dresses like my granddad. _

“Ardyn Ardyn Ardyn…” Cassandra chuckled dryly. 

“What’s he doing?” Taylor asked.

“Well, it seems he has some antiquated and interesting tastes, according to Nyx.” Cassandra turned off her phone and put it in her pocket, approaching the register to pay for her shirt. “But it looks good so who knows? Maybe he’s one of the few people who can pull it off and make them look good.” 

“...are you even listening to yourself?” Taylor asked. Cassandra looked to her, head tilted slightly. “You’re so in love with him.” 

“...ugh, my life will never be the same.” She sighed. Taylor only laughed as they paid for their shirts. Cassandra huffed as they turned to leave the store and return to the group at the food court.


	8. In the Light of the Crystal

“And thus, King Cecil Lucis Caelum fought off the Imperial invasion in Cleigne and his sword was placed where the land and sea met.” Ignis droned on to Ardyn, who was sitting on the couch quietly writing in one of the many notebooks Cassandra had procured for him (they were on sale). Next to him was the prince, Noctis, who was busy playing with his phone while Taylor was sitting on the loveseat, watching Ignis quietly. Prompto and Gladio were in the kitchen behind them, trying to prepare something. Cassandra wasn’t watching the duo, figuring Ignis’ watchful eye was on them. “He returned to the Crown City to rule before being buried near Cape Caem, succeeded by his son Mors-” 

“Father of Regis, correct?” Ardyn interrupted. Ignis nodded, although Cassandra noticed a brief twitch on Ignis’ expression from being interrupted. 

“Indeed, and Noct’s grandfather.” 

“I didn’t really get to know him well before he died. It was sudden, I don’t think Dad got over it.” Noctis shrugged. Ardyn glanced to the window outside, where dark rain-filled clouds hovered above the Wall, before the group jumped from a shriek from Prompto. Ignis calmly went to the kitchen, adjusting his gloves as he saved Prompto (and their dinner) from disaster. Cassandra smiled as she watched the advisor skillfully work his magic on salvaging dinner. Prompto had jumped over the couch into Noctis’ lap, earning a yelp of surprise from the prince when he landed. Ardyn was watching the chaos with an amused look before glancing to Taylor.

“So, tell me, who’s the lucky man?” He asked, leaning over to her to talk to her. Noctis and Prompto looked over to Taylor, who blushed red from the sudden attention. 

“Oh, it’s...it’s Ignis.” 

“Wait, Iggy got hitched? He hasn’t told us yet!” Prompto whined. 

“I’ve been quite busy Prompto.” Ignis said, loud enough for the blond to hear. Prompto laughed. 

“I see. Congratulations, to the both of you.” Ardyn smiled at her. “Now...can you enlighten me on how it happened?” 

“Uh, well, we went to Galdin, had a nice dinner, then he proposed on the beach.” Taylor said. Ardyn blinked in surprise and looked to Prompto, who was quietly going ‘awww’. 

“That’s...that’s it?” He asked, blinking. 

“Yeah, pretty much, at least on the engagement stuff.” Taylor said. “Why?”

“I bet we’re going into a ‘back in my day’ tangent.” Noctis huffed. Ardyn chuckled, leaning back into his seat. 

“Well, two thousand years ago, most marriages were for political power. Love was barely a factor in a marriage. Usually, the bride’s family had to pay a man to marry their daughter, to ensure she would be taken care of. The bigger the dowry, the higher status they could afford their daughter.” Ardyn explained. “Elopements were uncommon, if I recall, but they happened.”

“Man, that’s kinda screwed up.” Prompto commented. Ardyn shrugged.

“Perhaps, but I do recall that a young man challenged the bride’s arranged groom to a hunt to earn her hand. They agreed to hunt a griffon in...I believe it would be Cleigne region today?” He closed his eyes, trying to remember. “Regardless, the groom accepted the challenge.”

“Did it end well for the dude?” Prompto asked. Ardyn shook his head.

“It did not, unfortunately. The young man did not return.” Prompto deflated visibly. “But it sounds like such things do not happen anymore. Dowries are a thing of the past, thankfully so.” 

“Well, what about weddings?” Prompto asked. “I bet there were some wild wedding traditions back in the day!” Ardyn hummed in amusement.

“Ah, only a few come to mind. Tell me, do you know where the tradition of having a best man comes from?” 

“Something about kidnapping the bride?” Gladio piqued up, earning a soft panicked squeak from Taylor. Ardyn raised an eyebrow at Gladio before nodding.

“To simply put it, yes, but the best man usually was a hired mercenary or a trusted warrior, along with a small group of equally skilled men. After all, not everyone would be content with the chosen groom and would try to kidnap the bride for one reason or another. These men would protect the bride until it was time for her to walk down the aisle.” Ardyn explained casually. “But once again, all of that appears to be a relic of the past. It’s just tradition at this point.” 

“Wait, what about the bridesmaids and maid of honor and all that?” Prompto asked.

“Simple. Confusing jealous suitors because they would all look the same. I believe some villages I visited did this to confuse daemons as well.” Ardyn paused to think. “I do not recall if it worked in the first place or not but, as I said before, it all seems to be just tradition, relics of the past.” He looked down, murmuring something that Cassandra didn’t hear. She reached down to squeeze his shoulder to comfort him. “So, who is the maid of honor, if you do not mind me asking?” 

“That would be me.” Cassandra spoke up. Ardyn glanced back to her. 

“Oh? How wonderful.”

“Hey Iggy!” Prompto turned back. “Can I be the wedding photographer?”

“Do I even need to ask?” Ignis replied before letting out a sigh. “Gladio, do you mind getting some ingredients for me?”

“Yeah, if I can find them in the Crown City.” 

“Just eggs and ham, maybe some lettuce as well. Shouldn’t be too hard to find.” Ignis stated, handing Gladio a scrap of paper. Gladio took a glance at the paper and nodded, walking to the door. 

“Sounds simple enough.” He said, opening the door. “I’ll be ba-” He turned, coming face to face with Clarus. “Dad!” He yelped in surprise, stepping back. “What are you doing here?” 

“His majesty dozed off during the council meeting today.” Clarus said simply. “He wishes for Lady Aurelia to come to his office to go over notes.” Cassandra blinked and looked to Noctis awkwardly before nodding.

“I’ll be there soon, let me just get my notes.” She said, rushing to her bag to grab her notebook of notes. “Ardyn, behave while I’m gone.”

“I’ll be on my best behavior, as always.” Ardyn nodded to her. “After all, I have two Crownsguard, a Glaive, a Shield, and my own distantly related nephew to keep me in line.” 

“Yes, Prince Noctis will get you behave by napping on you.” Cassandra hummed, rolling her eyes. “I’ll be back.” With that, she followed Clarus through the halls of the Citadel. She looked up to him quietly, unsure how to converse with the Shield of King Regis. She heard a faint rumbling from the dark clouds above the city, thunder she presumed. 

“So...um...Mr. Amicitia? Is it often that King Regis dozes off during council meetings?” She asked awkwardly. 

“...more often than he would like to admit.” Clarus replied. 

“Like father, like son...” Cassandra mused. Noctis was more known for napping than being princely. She opened up her notebook, flipping to the recent council meeting and the notes she took. It was more based on how to put in the truth of the Founder King in the history books as smoothly as possible but she still took notes to get Ardyn’s opinion on what Regis was attempting to do. Ardyn’s notes on the matter were penned down in sparkling purple ink (he seemed quite fond of purple glitter pens and Cassandra let him indulge. His flowing script was a sharp contrast to her plain handwriting, sharp enough to differentiate what they wrote). Suddenly, she felt Clarus’ hand on her shoulder. Stopping, she looked up to see that he had stopped as well. He knocked on the door. 

“Clarus?” Came Regis’ voice. 

“I’ve brought her, your majesty.” The door opened. Cassandra smiled at the aged king. 

“I believe you needed me to go over the notes of the council meeting today?” She asked. Regis looked to Clarus. 

“What did you tell her?” 

“That you dozed off during the council meeting.” Clarus said simply. Regis laughed as he left the office. Cassandra looked to the two in confusion.

“...I feel like there’s a joke I’m missing out on.” She said, watching as Regis walked down the hall. Cassandra awkwardly began to follow him, hearing Clarus following a couple steps behind them.

“I requested Clarus bring you to me for a reason.” He began. “Your story, how you freed Ardyn, that is something I never expected to happen. For someone to step onto Angelgarde, find him, and take care of him, that speaks volumes about you as a person.” Cassandra blushed at that. “I cannot help but wonder…”

“Wonder...what, your majesty?” She asked hesitantly. 

“What I am doing has not been done in centuries...but I believe the gods have chosen you for some sort of fate. You are no ordinary person, Lady Aurelia.” 

“I’m honored to hear you speak so highly of me...but where are we going?” She lowered her voice a little.

“To the Crystal.” Cassandra froze in place, breath hitched. 

“The...Crystal? No, that...I-I couldn’t. The Crystal is sacred to the gods. You may consider me worthy of praise but I don’t think the gods share that opinion-” She stammered. Back in Gralea, she had heard legends and rumors of past marauders attempting to steal the Crystal, only for a mystic force to repel and plague them with illness, death, or blindness. Regis only smiled comfortingly to her. 

“I have no doubt you will do anything that would seriously endanger the Crystal.” 

“It would be foolish to try. I just…” She took a breath. “I’m terrified of the Crystal, really. It’s the heart of our star, where gods imparted their vision to the Oracle. Would taking a commoner there be blasphemy?” 

“The circumstances of your birth do not matter if your fate was laid out by the gods.” Regis pointed out. “The Oracle was said to be originally a pious woman of Tenebrae, that could be anyone from a commoner to the royals. We do not know what her life was before the Draconian bestowed upon her his trident but she was raised up regardless.” Cassandra nodded a little. It was true that the First Oracle’s birth and life before being chosen by Bahamut were not documented very well, meaning she could’ve been nothing more than a peasant woman before being chosen. She looked down, noticing his arm was out. He had waited patiently for her to recover from the shock of being told where she was being led to. She carefully hooked her arm around his, glancing to Clarus nervously. Cassandra hoped that the aged king was unable to sense the nervousness coursing through her. As they walked through the halls of the Citadel, a quiet fell between her and the aged king. It did not ease the sense of nervousness inside her. 

They reached a door, a door that was black like the other doors in the Citadel. Cassandra could only presume the Crystal was on the other side, she could almost sense the divine avatar of their star. It terrified her. Regis hobbled forward, pulling out a key and unlocking the door. Gentle blue light poured from the door as he opened it, Cassandra deflecting her gaze away from the Crystal as it came into view. The king gently ushered her inside, she heard Clarus close the door behind her. The two approached the Crystal, Cassandra still not directly looking at the divine gift from the Gods, before stopping an arm’s length away from the Crystal.

“...now what?” Cassandra whispered, shaking from being so close to the Crystal. Regis looked to her, and then back to the Crystal, and then back to her before slowly walking to a nearby chair. Cassandra took a glance to the Crystal before looking away. “Perhaps…” She murmured, standing up straight. She put her hands together and began to pray. 

_ ‘Blessed gods of light and life, reveal to me your will tonight.’ _ She closed her eyes, focusing on listening whatever message the gods wished to impart to her. She had to try, since Regis trusted her so much to bring her to the Crystal in the first place. At first, there was silence, a sense of stillness that was both comforting and yet worrying. Cassandra stood there, unsure when this vision, if any, would come. She opened her eyes, fully intending to tell Regis she received nothing, before realizing that she was no longer in the room with the Crystal. Rather, she found herself in a throne room. She looked around in confusion, seeing men and women in robes and ancient architecture. It seemed that no one in the room reacted to her presence, much less knew she was here. 

_ ‘A vision, perhaps?’ _ Cassandra thought, her gaze moving upward to the throne. Above it was the mystical Crystal, the geodetic inside glimmering in the torchlight. Below that, next to the throne, was a woman in white. A woman she recognized as Aera, the First Oracle. On the other side of the Oracle was a man in black and silver, a man she wasn’t sure if he was even a mortal man or not.  _ ‘That stranger…perhaps Aera’s protector? But she died, violently if Ardyn’s reaction when I asked about it was any indication of how she passed.’  _ She thought, moving her gaze away from the throne.  _ ‘If what I am seeing is how Ardyn became who he was today, then where is he?’  _ There was a man in blue kneeling on the ground, perhaps to bow to a king? The rest of the people weren’t doing so, as spectators and witnesses to whatever ceremony she was witnessing right now.

Stepping out from the crowd was the man of the hour, the man she almost didn’t recognize at first: Ardyn, in white robes. She wondered when the violet-red hair became a thing, given his deep brown hair she was seeing right now. She moved a little closer, circling around the edge of the room to get a better look at him. He looked so gaunt, for what reason she could not ascertain. His robes, despite the white, were torn and ragged at the edges. Perhaps he was a traveler, which certainly explained how haggard he looked. As he approached the throne, she faintly heard the man in blue robes before he stepped forward to face the audience. 

“It was me! I was chosen by the gods!” A gasp echoed throughout the room, Aera visibly shocked by the man’s arrogance. Cassandra wondered how such arrogance would pan out, given such a brazen claim to assume the will of the divine. Were not Oracles the only ones who could impart upon the masses the wishes of deities? A part of her knew that this couldn’t possibly end well. “Do forgive me for my deception.” He continued. “However, it was necessary to lure this seditious traitor here today!” He turned to Ardyn, who had not moved since the man’s bold claim. “What a miserable man. Did you really covet my throne that badly?” 

_ ‘You’re taunting him.’ _ Cassandra thought, staring at the man in blue intensely.  _ ‘You’re trying to get him to react.’ _

“Somnus…” Ardyn murmured. Cassandra blinked. So that was his name, Somnus. And since Ardyn was a Lucis Caelum, she had to presume that Somnus shared the dual-surname. 

“The gods have spoken.” Somnus declared, summoning an ornate longsword from thin air. “And I, Somnus Lucis Caelum, am king!” 

“And what if I object, brother?” Ardyn asked, turning to his kin. A moment passed of tense quiet before Somnus smirked, advancing onto Ardyn. Cassandra rushed behind a pillar, instinct overruling reason. She peered around behind the pillar, watching as the blades of red and blue met with sharp clangs. 

_ ‘I really hope I don’t see the end of that blade!’ _ Cassandra thought, feeling her heart ramming in her chest. 

“I will not take your life, so long as you renounce your na-” Ardyn began before he let out a noise, something akin to straining to hold something in. Cassandra gasped softly, hearing the same from Aera. Was it a hidden wound? Or perhaps the scourge she knew resided in the Ardyn she knew? Whatever it was, Somnus swung the silvery-blue blade once again. It seemed that, even though Ardyn had offered a peaceful end to Somnus’ claim, his brother would not take that end. Despite the strain to his body from something she did not see yet, Ardyn still fought skillfully (or at least, it was skillfully to her, someone who never held a sword in her life). With a great forceful swing, Somnus was sent back by his brother. Somnus rolled along the ground, summoning a spear and throwing it at Ardyn. Ardyn caught the spear but Somnus, perhaps with the power of the divine Bladekeeper in his blood, warped forward and plunged the spear into Ardyn. Cassandra watched in horror as scarlet bloomed from the wound, staining the white robes red. Ardyn stumbled back, Cassandra was shocked to see him standing still from the weapon. 

“Stop!” Cassandra looked up, seeing Aera rush forward between the two. Somnus’ blade lashed out, diving deep into her back. She gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

_ ‘By the divine...was this how she died?’ _ She thought, body frozen as Aera’s body collapsed onto the floor. Her blood poured out from the wound freely, too much for anyone to save her. Ardyn pulled out the spear, Cassandra wincing as she watched, and collapsed onto the floor to cradle the dying Oracle. She crept closer to the two, resting near the base of the stairs leading up to the throne. She stared at the man, her heart aching in sympathy. 

“Ardyn…”

“Aera! Don’t worry, I’m going to-” Aera reached up, the last of her strength to cradle his face. With a smile, she closed her eyes. Her hand fell and with that, she was gone.

_ ‘Oh Ardyn...this…’ _ Cassandra thought, only faintly realizing she was crying as well. ‘ _ This is far worse than anything I could have ever come up with. To have your love stolen like this… _ ’

“Foolish woman.” Somnus stepped forward. Cassandra looked up to him, grief replaced with disgust. “Forgive me, brother, but I must fulfill my kingly calling.” Before the blade could land upon the grieving man, scourge burst from him. A cry of grief and rage came from Ardyn, warped by the scourge he had nestled deep in him. He turned, half-maddened with sorrow, and snarled at his kin. Cassandra gasped in surprise as the scourge flowed free from Ardyn. It was more than she had ever seen in her lifetime, even in Niflheim when Verstael showed off his successful experiments. A part of her admired the will it took to look as if he was as human as the others, to keep them unaware of the black secret in his very veins. The spectators fled, screaming about the man was a monster, leaving Somnus all alone with the enraged Ardyn. 

“He’s become the monster I made him out to be…” Somnus murmured, stepping forward as Ardyn stumbled in confused sorrow towards his brother. The stranger in silver jumped, slashing at him. She frowned, wondering who’s side he was on but would never know. This was not about the stranger, but about Ardyn. The two slashed at Ardyn, the man still holding and protecting the body of Aera with his body. He looked up the throne, to the Crystal, and stumbled his way up. Cassandra watched as Somnus and the stranger continued to slash at him, spilling his blood along the throne room. She winced, wondering how Ardyn was still able to stand despite the deep lashes that the two laid upon him. He reached out for the Crystal, a soft whisper of a voice coming from him. Whatever he asked, she couldn’t hear. The Crystal began to glow before an unseen force pushed them away, their bodies rolling onto the floor. Cassandra looked away, wincing as they fell. She heard the sound of bones cracking and an intense wind following before silence. She looked back, seeing the silvery longsword impaled in Ardyn’s chest. He was dead, he had to be. Cassandra looked to the open window, the dawn light pouring into the chamber. She looked back to Somnus, noticing the grim expression he bore as the first light of day poured into the room. 

_ ‘This victory was not glorious, was it?’ _ Cassandra thought.  _ ‘How many battles have you won that were this bittersweet? Is this victory even sweet at all?’ _ She knew she wouldn’t get an answer from him, the Founder King of Lucis. The Lucian Kings of Yore would never spare a moment to answer the questions of a commoner. Suddenly, the dawning light became brighter and brighter, blindingly bright. She held up her hand, trying to shield her eyes from the bright light. The stone of the throne disappeared behind her, causing her to fall over. 

And then, as the light cleared, Cassandra found herself in a...place. Swirling light surrounded her, without ground to stand on. And yet, she was standing on...something. She looked around in confusion, unsure of where she was. Perhaps...in the heart of the Crystal itself? That seemed to make sense, considering she had been praying for a vision. But did she get here from the throne room of Ancient Insomnia? 

"Nng...ahh..."

Cassandra whipped around, gasping in shock. Ardyn was strung up, this time by blades instead of chains. He bore the white robes she saw him bear back in the throne room, but they were ripped and torn. She rushed up to him, gasping as she saw the scourge within on full display. His eyes focused on her.

"Ardyn, oh Ardyn, who did this to you?" She whispered. He let out a weak noise, barely a response, before Cassandra heard someone walk behind her. She turned around, seeing Aera with the Trident of the Oracle in her hand. She would've let out a sigh of relief if she had not noticed the uncharacteristically hard glare she had. She stopped, an arm's length away from her. 

"Stand aside." Cassandra was caught off guard by the cold voice.

"I'm sorry?" 

"Stand aside. I must do my duty as Oracle." 

"Enlighten me..." Cassandra said warily, glancing to the Trident. Aera followed her gaze down to the Trident in her hand. She swore her gaze softened, just slightly. 

"It is my fault that he is like this. I told Somnus the revelation of the gods, that Ardyn was to be king, hoping that he would obey their will." She looked up to the bound Ardyn, the faint softness fading into resolute harshness. "Now the gods have given the Oracle a new revelation: The Immortal Accursed, a sacrifice to the True King, to rid the land of darkn-"

"Woah woah woah hold on!" Cassandra yelped. "Do you even hear yourself? Was Ardyn not your fiance? If you think it’s some great sin that Ardyn is like this, I don’t think he’d ever think so. He still holds onto your memory, and you want to do this to him?” She looked back to Ardyn before refocusing her attention onto the First Oracle. 

“Those halcyon days are over. Do you stand before the will of the divine, to defy the gods?” Aera pointed the end of the Trident at her accusingly. Cassandra stared at the trident before looking up at Aera, meeting steel grey eyes. 

“I do.” 

“Then may the gods have mercy on you, for I will not.” Aera charged. Cassandra quickly side-stepped, grabbing the Trident in her hands and pulling away from Ardyn. 

“I won’t...let you do this!” She strained, pulling the Trident with all her might. Aera stumbled back from surprise before pulling forward. Cassandra whipped around, facing the Oracle. 

“This is my punishment for my sins! Let go!” 

“Nothing you could ever do would be considered a sin to him! Even if the gods hated you, even if the world turned its back on you, he would bear your pain gladly!” Cassandra snarled. 

“It matters not the desires of man and immortals. It is by the grace of the divine that we exist, that we live and breathe. Their orders are absolute-”

“I don’t care what their orders are! I don’t care if Ardyn has to die, it doesn’t make the torture he went through all alone any more right. Two thousand years of darkness, chained up in mockery of angels, it’s not right!” 

“And who are you to question that?” Aera asked, the fire in her eyes burning. Cassandra met her gaze with equal ferocity. 

“Someone with a goddamn heart! I might be nothing special, I’m no princess or queen or even blessed with divine purpose like you, but I would rather be known as someone who did all the good they could do in their life with reckless abandon. Life is too short to be cruel and unkind, all the wealth and favor in the world isn’t worth it. No matter how many times the clock is turned back, I would save him again and again with all the power I could muster.”

“Then you are a fool.”

“So be it!” Cassandra spat back, continuing to fight against the Oracle. Aera pushed forward, even as Cassandra pulled against her with all of her might. Despite her best efforts, straining against the surprising strength of the Oracle, the Trident plunged into Ardyn’s heart. Cassandra stumbled back, staring up at him as his body shook from the holy energy latent in the Oracle’s weapon. He let out a wheeze of pain before slumping over, dead. 

“No...Ardyn…” Cassandra whispered. 

“When darkness veils the world, the King of Light shall come. You cannot change what has been preordained.” The Oracle’s voice began to warp, fading into the brightening light of the Crystal. Cassandra could only watch as Ardyn’s body faded into ever-brightening light, blinding her. 

And then she was back in the room where the Crystal was resting, the stone sparkling in the faint light. She stepped back, stumbling onto the ground as a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over her. She heard Regis approach as fast as he could, the end of his cane hitting the ground. 

“Urgh...do...do visions from crystals always end up with you exhausted beyond belief?” She groaned, slowly sitting up. She looked up, seeing Clarus’ outstretched hand, and took it. “Thank you.”

“Are you alright?” Regis asked worriedly.

“My head feels like it’s being cracked open, but other than that, I’m fine.” She said, letting Clarus help her up. “Is this what a migraine feels like?” 

“Usually.” Clarus replied dryly. She looked to Regis and took in a breath, trying to collect her thoughts and calm the raging headache she was suffering from before Regis spoke.

“It’s late, we should go rest.” Cassandra blinked before nodding. 

“Thank you, your majesty.” She bowed to him. She wondered if he just knew what she had seen or if it was genuinely that late. “Perhaps we can talk about this in the morning?” 

“I’ll see what I can do.” Regis said with a nod. He gestured to the door and Cassandra took that as her cue to leave.


	9. Strain

With the end of summer hovering over the Crown City came it’s worst heat waves. A near-suffocating heat wave engulfed Insomnia, making any thought of going outside a terrible idea. Even with the air conditioning on, it was still miserable to do anything. The summers of the Crown City often made people a bit on edge, with the oppressive heat barely helping. By day, the city became locked in a standstill from the heat, with most of the citizens opting to do their work by the cooler night instead. 

_ ‘Curse the light of the daystar indeed.’ _ Cassandra mused as she walked through the halls of the Citadel. Despite the sweltering afternoon heat, work waited for no man. She had already told the king the first vision, what she had discovered was the same story Ardyn told him while she was getting the suite as prepared as she could. The second vision she kept to herself, she wasn’t even sure if she wanted others to know. How could she explain her reasoning to resist the Oracle? And those grey eyes...something about them seemed off. 

“Ugh, this heat is killing me!” Came a voice. Cassandra jumped and hid in a nearby supply closet. She held her hand to her heart, trying to calm herself. It was mostly instinct that she was here now, from nervous days of hiding from upset officials of Niflheim. Those days in Zegnautus Keep were terrible in hindsight. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. 

_ ‘I’m not there. I’m not going to get yelled at by Verstael or Caligo. I’m in the Crown City, safest place in E-’ _

“And there’s that weirdo Ardyn. Why does he get to hang around the Citadel like a hobo?” 

Cassandra’s eyes snapped open. Now these nameless servants had her attention.

“I hear that that floozy, Aurelia, she’s sleeping with the King. That’s why that weirdo gets to stay in one of the nicest suites in the Citadel.” 

“With His Majesty? Tch, you’re out of your mind!” Another spoke up. “It’s clearly the Shield. If his Shield can look the other way for a pair of tits, then Ardyn can do whatever he wants.” 

“Clarus would rather die than let a dangerous foe pass by him for crappy tits.” A third voice spoke. “Besides, they’re too old. It’s obvious she’s bedding the Prince. His Majesty dotes on him, so it only makes sense.” 

“Poor Lady Lunafreya!” The first gasped. “If I were her, I would ask the gods to smite her!”

“Lady Lunafreya isn’t like that though.” The second voice pointed out. “And besides, it’s not the gods job to smite people because they’re flirting with your fiance.” 

“Aren’t we overlooking the fact that Ardyn’s so full of the scourge that Minister Iaso said he embodied it?” The third voice asked. 

“Oh yes, Minister Iaso did say that didn’t he?” The first gasped. “I heard that Aurelia’s a Niff spy who’s turning him into a sleeper weapon for Niflheim.” 

“A sleeper weapon? Ooh!” The third let out a noise, something that Cassandra could only describe as a shudder. “How awful! If all of Insomnia gets turned into daemons, then it’ll be easy for Niflheim to take over!” 

“I heard his Majesty let Aurelia see the Crystal!” Cassandra could barely hold in the gasp. “She knows where it is, which means she has blackmail to force his Majesty to keep that hobo around. What if she corrupted the Crystal?” 

“I don’t even want to think about that.” The first snapped. “There’s no way the Crystal can be corrupted, right?”

“...I don’t know.” The second voice whispered. “But she has the most heroic of glaives keeping an eye on them. There’s no way they can do anything without the Crown knowing and neutralizing them.” 

“You’re right. Nyx is completely and utterly loyal to his Majesty. If there’s anyone who can stop an assassination of him and save the Crown City, it’s him.” 

“What if that Niff glaive helps them though?” 

“You’re right...I didn’t think about that fat-” 

“Now that’s just quite rude.” Came a fourth voice, she recognized it as Ignis. She couldn’t help but feel relieved at his presence. The three servants let out a squawk of surprise. 

“It’s the prince’s advisor!” 

“I will not let you talk badly about my future wife, thank you very much.” Ignis stated coldly. “Nor will I let you talk ill about the maid of honor.” She heard a trio of yelping before footsteps. Cassandra presumed they fled. She peered out of the storage closet, seeing Ignis still there with his face in his hand. She sensed he was obviously irritated. 

“Are they gone?” Ignis looked up, surprised to see her there.

“How long have you been hiding in the supply closet?” He asked.

“...since they started chatting about me.” She sighed. “It’s not new.”

“The hiding in the closet or the rumors?” 

“...both. Zegnautus Keep was terrible for my mental health and I’m no stranger to rumors. I took a vacation to Galdin to get away from the rumors.”

“And you returned with the greatest secret of the line of Lucis Caelum.” Ignis mused. Cassandra sighed.

“It seems those rumors returned with a vengeance. I’m not surprised, unfortunately.” She shook her head. Ignis gave her a sympathetic glance. 

“I apologize. It must be hard for you.”

“It is...but I have to deal. It’s better than Niflheim, that’s for sure.” She sighed. 

“Oh yes, I was looking for you for a reason. It seems Ardyn is in a small bit of distress.”

“Distress? What happened?” Cassandra asked nervously. 

“It seems a painting did the job. Although when you see it, I am certain you can imagine why. It’s two floors down, left wing.” 

“Gotcha, I’m going.” With that, she rushed off downstairs. If he was in distress over painting, she had to go down to mediate as fast as she could. Hopefully, he was all alone so the Kingsglaive wouldn’t try and kill him on sight, and with that all of her hard work would be ruined. As she rushed down the stairs, she smelt a sickeningly familiar scent of decay. 

_ ‘No no no no no no!’ _ Cassandra panicked, running down the halls and skidding a little on the glossy stone floors. Standing in the middle of the corridor was Ardyn, she could tell he was fuming. She ran over to him.

“Ardyn! Ardyn! What’s the matter?” She panted, looking to what he was looking at. The darkness of the Scourge crawled over most of the painting but she could tell what it’s subject was: Ardyn, presumably being chained up on that infernal island. But why would there be a painting about it in the Citadel? Unless…

“They used me.” Ardyn growled. Cassandra jumped, visibly spooked. 

“Used you?” She whispered anxiously. 

“As a tourist attraction, a freak” He hissed at the word. “To be marveled at. I remember now...strangers entering what I would come to know as my cell. Being gawked at and feared, as if I was the monster they so feared, trapped by my ‘heroic’ brother!” The scourge intensified, ripping the painting to ribbons. Cassandra yelped and scrambled back, watching as the painting’s scraps fluttered to the floor. “Tell me, Cassandra.” He turned, the black of the Scourge on full display. “Why should I play nice with the very people who saw me as nothing more than a freakshow to be astonished by?” 

“Because it’s a better fate being here than being experimented on in Niflheim. You think being a freak show for others to be amazed by is bad? Try being trapped in a tube, the ancient scourge that lies within you being drained out repeatedly to fuel the war machines of Niflheim. I know what Besithia does to people, I’ve seen it in the files! Just reading about it made my stomach turn…” 

“You think I would forgive the Lucians so easily?” He growled. 

“I’m not saying you have to forgive!” She retorted. “Don’t you dare put words in my mouth!”

“You seem to be implying that I sh-”

"ARDYN LUCIS CAELUM!" 

The silence between them was deafening, with Cassandra panting heavily from the outburst. Ardyn tilted his head, almost cutely if he wasn’t looking like the daemon he was. 

"I know...it must be so infuriating being constantly watched and distrusted by everyone around you, surrounded by reminders of the brother who hurt you."

"Hurt is an understatement." He replied dryly. 

"I want to make things easier on you! You're not the only person who's having a bad time!" She continued. "When I left to Galdin Quay, long before I even knew all this was going to happen, people were talking behind my back about how I was secretly a Niff spy, how I was probably sharing the secrets of Lucis to the enemy. I went to Galdin to just get away, even for a while. Now that I'm back, not only do I have to juggle the Councils wants, but the fucking gossip is back with a vengeance! Everything thinks I'm either bedding King Regis himself or his Shield or his son to let you stay or some fucking rando with the clout to keep you around. I just..." She began to sniffle, trying desperately to keep it together. "We're both suffering here, I'd argue you more so, surrounded by reminders of what a fucking jerk your brother was...just please, find some other way to lash out instead of property damage. We both don't want to go back to Angelgarde...so please..." She collapsed onto the nearby bench, energy spent. "Just, please, work with me here, so we don't end up in that cruel prison of an island." A quiet reigned between the duo, Cassandra's sniffling being the only sound between them. She heard him shift and glanced up, meeting Ardyn's amber eyes. He looked as human as she knew him, with nary a trace of the scourge on him. His hand gently held her cheek, a thumb wiping at the tears. 

"I'm sorry." He murmured. "I was so consumed by my hatred, I did not consider the feelings of my savior." He gently helped her up. "Let us return to the suite so graciously provided to us. I'll make some tea." She nodded, leaning onto him a little.

“Just so you know...I’m not expecting you to forgive so easily. Forgiveness must be earned after all. You may never forgive in your lifetime and that’s OK. But all I ask is that you play nice with them. I’ll see what I can do to make sure you don’t get in trouble for that paint-”

“No no, I will take responsibility for it.” 

“But Ardyn-”

“No buts. You have done so much for me, it is my turn to repay you.” Cassandra let out a sigh.

“Alright. Just...take care when you explain to King Regis what happened.” Ardyn let out a playfully familiar chuckle as he led the way.

“Of course.” He paused. “By the way, have you been getting enough sleep lately?” 

“Huh? Of course I have.” She waved it off. Ardyn raised an eyebrow. 

“Hmm…” 

“Don’t give me that look Ardyn.” 

“Fine fine, just tea. Iced, it is far too hot for anything but.” 

“Gods, finally something we can agree on.” Cassandra laughed weakly as he stepped through the suite. She was gently settled on the couch. She shifted, watching him prepare tea. “Hey, how come you’re not dying of heat under all those layers?” 

“I do not...agree with the sun.” Cassandra blinked before realizing what he meant. Since daemons only came out at night, it would make sense that Ardyn, full of the scourge, wouldn’t be so tolerant of the light of day. 

“I see. Are you still dying of heat from the layers?”

“Thankfully, no. Although I can tell that the heat is unpleasant for everyone else.” 

“Because of how Insomnia is built, it makes heat waves terrible to go through.” She explained as Ardyn returned with a cup of ice cold tea. She took a sip. “Pretty much the whole city is at a standstill until the sun goes down. Since daemons don’t appear in the Crown City, it’s safer to wait until sundown to do business.” 

“Have there ever been daemon sightings in the Crown City?” Ardyn asked, settling down across from him. Cassandra hummed thoughtfully.

“I do not recall. If there were, the Kingsglaive would’ve taken them out quickly.” Cassandra finally said after a few minutes of thought. “If anything, there’s only petty crimes that the Crownsguard take care of. The Kingsglaive would only really get involved if there’s like a string of murders or something.” 

“I see…” He murmured, closing his eyes. “Tell me more.” Cassandra smiled. He looked like a cat ready for a nap and it was adorable. She sipped her tea again.

“Hmm...more about the Crown City...There’s Caelum Via. It’s  _ the _ restaurant to go to. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to visit the place but the views from Caelum Via are supposedly to die for.” She sighed. “It’s supposed to be beautiful, with the Crown City glimmering like the stars above.” 

“Do you think you’ll ever go there someday?” 

“Unlikely. Caelum Via’s more than just it’s restaurant. It’s basically a resort, and an expensive one at that. But I would like to visit, just once.” She sighed. “Heard they got a pretty good spa too. That’d be nice to visit, as long as I’m not massaged.”

“What’s wrong with them?” He asked. 

“I’m just...I’m not good with being touched. I like my personal space, unless I pull you in myself. I suppose they’d say I’m too tense and need to relax.” She laughed, her laugh more sarcastic. “I work in the Citadel, of course I’m tense! Everyone thinks I’m a Niff spy!” 

“Well...not everyone. You have the trust of the advisor of the prince...Ignis was it? And his wife-to-be as well. I think you’ll be just fine.” 

“Ignis was the one who told me that you were distressed in the first place. He must have a little fondness for you to seek my help.” Cassandra pointed out. Ardyn shrugged. “I just hope that…” She trailed off, earning a noise of interest from him.

“Hope what?”

“That the Kingsglaive don’t hurt you on account of some baseless rumors.” 

“I can handle my own, thank you very much.” Ardyn hummed. Cassandra swore she saw that lazy smile slip. “But it’s you I’m worried about.”

“Me?” 

“Of course you.” He reached over, gently pulling a strand of hair out of her face. “You’ve done so much for me. Words cannot adequately express my gratitude. If you were hurt I…” He lowered his voice to a whisper, a whisper that belied fear she did not see in him normally. “I would not be able to bear it.” The quiet that fell between them lasted, for how long she did not count, until she pulled away. 

“I think you’re right about that rest thing.” She said. “All this work for the council and the rumor mill, a nap sounds like a good idea.” Ardyn’s smile returned and it was as if that moment never happened. 

“Rest well, my savior.” 

“I will.” She nodded and slipped into her bedroom. Setting the tea down on the end table, a feeling of anxiety bloomed in her. As much as she knew he would take responsibility for the painting, what if other people found it? What if something was stirring in the shadows of the Citadel, waiting for the moment to strike? There were too many what ifs and not enough time to figure out an answer. She looked out the window, to the city below. It glittered in the harsh sunlight. If she wasn’t exhausting herself with worry, she would’ve found the sight beautiful.

She would gain nothing from worrying. With that, she laid down on the bed and slipped into a nap. 


End file.
